YuGiOh!, Past Repeating: Season 1
by xyugiohluvrx
Summary: What if the Pharaoh had a Guardian? And fell in love with her too? Plots are twisted in an already complex world when there's someone out there who would risk their life for the King of Egypt. YamiYugixOC
1. Character Introduction

**Latest ****Revision****: 28/06/12**

**~* ****S****A****R****A****H ****W****I****N****D**** *~**

**Name****: **Sarah Wind (You'll learn something about her name that's important in season 2)

**Age****:** Same age as the gang. So I believe... 16. But she's a 5,000 year old spirit.

**Alias****: **The Pharaoh's Guardian

**Looks:** Flaming red hair that reaches just above her hips and blazing scarlet red eyes. As skinny and weightless as the gang. Her height reaches just a centimetre below the Pharaoh's (not including his hair).

**Personality****:** She's very happy and out-going around her family and friends, but when on duty or in a dangerous position, she's serious and determined. She holds the same assertive composure as the Pharaoh during those moments and won't let anyone with a weapon or dark intentions to kill the Pharaoh come within striking distance of him. When thinking of her late family, she feels pain in her heart and tries not to show any tears.

**Family****:** She has - had - a mother, father, and an older brother by two years. Please use the reference picture on my profile to see their looks. [More on family in the History section of Sarah's profile.]

**Important****Items****:** She holds the _**Millennium **__**Locket**_ which can not be passed down like any other Item, meaning it's only hers. It holds all her magical power. It was first given to her by her parents when she was born and since then, she has never taken it off. When she became Guardian of the Pharaoh, her Locket was turned into a Millennium item; being infused with the same powers as all the other Items.

Her weapon is a blood red _**staff**_ that turns into a _**sword**_ when she needs it. It's nearly her height. (I'll try and put up a picture of it when I can in my profile.)

In her wallet, she keeps the key to her apartment and a _**family **__**picture**_ which the Egyptian Gods made for her just so she could keep remembrance. Even if they were kept in her heart, she still needed solid proof that she did have a family. (You know how some characters in stories forget about what someone looks like after a long period of time and they keep a picture? Same type of thing here.) If you want to see a picture of it, the link for it is on my profile..

During season 2, Sarah received an _**LG **__**cell **__**phone**_ so she could keep in touch with the gang more easily. Plays important parts in season 2. If you want to see a picture of it, the link is on my profile.

**Skills****:** Sarah has the ability to control the _**elements**__**: **__**fire**__**, **__**earth**__**, **__**air**__**, **__**and**__**water**_ from her magics study back in Ancient Egypt. During Duelist Kingdom, her powers were a little weak because of her being reborn but by the end, they're stronger. She's also mastered _**healing**_spells. Along with magic, she has _**weapon**__** - **__**to**__** - **__**weapon**__**fighting**_ skills.

**History****:** When she was young, a war hit Egypt during the time of Yami's father's reign. During that war, her brother was kidnapped. Her parents and she looked around everywhere for him, but there was no sign. Then later in the same week, the same person came back for another war and in this one, her parents disappeared, leaving Sarah to think they were dead. She was then cared for by a family friend, Isis; a member of the Pharaoh's Court. She proposed her for the duty of the Pharaoh's Guardian and when she graduated from her magics school, in which she learned of the elemental spells and combat, she became the Guardian.

More plot twists will occur throughout the fanfic. Thanks. ^^

I will put the story in first person view. And I'm going to change the first season into first person view too, when I get the chance. Thanks for reading! ^^

**IF ****YOU ****WANT** to see stuff in a little more detail, please message me or check my profile. I've also added links to pictures of some people and monsters in my fanfiction on my profile. Thanks again! ^^

**PICTURES****: **If you want to see reference pictures of anything, or anyone, please check my profile. Please don't hesitate to message me about any other reference pictures that you would like to see. Thank you. ^^

I hope you enjoy this fanfic! :D


	2. The Awakening

**Latest ****Revision****: 12/07/12**

**Author****'****s ****Note****: **All righty! So here is the first chapter of Season 1! Now I know when you read it, it'll be different. I decided to revise it to a much better format. Because I've noticed that my writing has gotten a lot better in later chapters. Mostly in the end of Duelist Kingdom and onwards. So I decided to….UPDATE the chapter. Hope it didn't change too much, but it was bothering me a lot that my first chapters were written really badly. Sorry again, and thanks for reading this fanfic! x3

Sarah Wind, Guardian of the Pharaoh, has been trapped in the Dungeons in the Sky for five millennia, awaiting the arrival of time when she will be able to be reborn. Both she and the Pharaoh are now free—free to save the world from an evil that has threatened to come back. Will friendships really conquer? How will the Guardian and Pharaoh get along when the King has lost his memory? Will the evil be any stronger? Ancient Egypt is their past, but their future is only just beginning.

Ready for the ride of a lifetime? Take a seat and let's read to find the answers.

**Disclaimer ****of ****Yu****-****Gi****-****Oh****!. **Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**Duelist ****Kingdom****-****The ****Beginning ****of ****a ****New ****Story ****Chapter**** 1**

The sky was cloudless on the day I was resurrected. Rays of sunlight streamed onto the pyramids and sand filled land. Ruins of the once known Ancient Egypt were everywhere in the new Land of the Pharaohs. There were no crowded markets anymore and the tombs were as silent as though death was haunting them for more prey. A lot has changed after 5,000 years, but I hoped that I didn't. I needed to be at the top of my game if the Pharaoh was to be reborn. And to do that, I needed to remember all my old skills—both fighting skills and magic skills; hand-to-hand combat, being able to use any weapon to my advantage, and the use of my magic which, unfortunately, used a lot of my energy, so I had to be careful. All of these skills were necessary in order for me to help protect the Pharaoh everywhere he went. That is my duty after all…

My name is Sarah Wind. From the moment I graduated from my Magic's School, to this day, almost 5,000 years later, I'm known as the Pharaoh's Guardian. I was given the job after my caretaker, Isis, proposed that I would be the one for it. She had… a kind of knowledge for these things. She thought I had what it took to be the Guardian, a personal warrior, for the Pharaoh of our time. Blood battles were common. The rage for power was almost infinite. It seemed like it would never end. So the Pharaoh's Court gave me the job of being Guardian, after I passed.

Right now, my body was just receiving my long, awaited soul. I've been waiting for this moment ever since I could remember. No seriously, I couldn't remember anything that happened in the last 5 millennia. That was because my soul was imprisoned in a crystal. The Egyptian Gods kept the crystal until my time to be reborn came back. A Dungeon in the Sky... Now, the crystal began to shatter, without eyes to see I didn't really know where I was going, but I could assume.

As the little glass pieces of the Dungeon withered away into the wind, my soul drifted down from the sky and into a small sand dune in the middle of the Egyptian ruins.

It was dark in the ancient caverns of Egypt. The desert sands blanketed the land like little diamonds. They seemed to sparkle under the sun. As my soul made it past the entrance, a long, narrow hall, it flew into another room with bronze sandy walls. There was a sarcophagus sitting in the middle, a simple, rectangular box.

My soul shifted a bit in the air before continuing its journey through the lid of the case in which my body was stored. It wouldn't be a mummified body at all, but my body from 5,000 years ago. Exactly how it was back then. It was all because of a spell that was placed.

My soul seemed to light the inside of the sarcophagus like a ballroom; the light was so bright in that small amount of space that it was almost blinding. The small orb of light began spinning, slowly at first then it grew faster, until it looked like a miniature planet about to spin off its orbit. Then it descended, deep into my skin, and locked into my heart.

My eyes snapped open and I took a long drag of breath while my eyes curiously began to scan the area. I was a bit confused as to why it was so dark. Maybe my eyes were still closed? I rose a steady hand and ran my fingers over my eyelids. No… they were open. But, why was it so dark? (I was momentarily disoriented. It's been 5,000 years.)

"Mm… could it have been the wrong time?" I asked the air. I was just about to raise my head, so I could sit up and think, when—

"OW! … that did not feel too good…"

—until it hit a roof. But why was the ceiling so low? Where was I to begin with? It took me a while, but I finally figured it out after much deliberation.

"Oh, right!" I exclaimed, realizing that it was the beginning of the prophecy if I was where I thought I was. "If I have to fulfill the prophecy, I need to start from where I left off! Where was I last time…oh…" I blinked into the darkness as I came to sudden realization.

"Oh my gods! I'm in my tomb!"

After a while of hyperventilating, I managed to calm myself down long enough to get things clear. When everything came at me in a rush, I thought it would be a good idea if I tried getting out first. I lodged my feet into the bottom corners of the sarcophagus and slapped my palms onto the underside of the lid. With all my might, I tried pushing the lid forward, but to no avail. By body was still stiff from sleeping for so long.

"Come on…" I said, gritting my teeth. "Gotta try… harder…"

The lid moved the slightest. A second later, it moved more. I used the last of my strength, making the muscles in my arms pull from the heaviness of the stone slab above me, and pushed it all the way off, knocking it over the side. It landed with a heavy thump, billowing dust. There was some more darkness entering my eyes again, instead of light as I sat up straight. I squinted into it, trying to see as much as I could. There was a small glimmer of sunlight coming from somewhere but I didn't have a clue where. With that small amount of light, I was able to see the bronze room around me. I thought it was nice. I know being the Pharaoh's Guardian was an honour, and maybe I should get somewhat of gold in here, but Isis, my caretaker, knew me better. She knew I wouldn't have liked that. I hated being equal to the Pharaoh. I was his shield... I could never be his equal….

Pushing that thought to the back of my mind, I tried looking for the exit. I slowly removed myself from the sarcophagus and, without closing the lid, walked to the nearest wall. I thought that maybe I should let myself be known. Running my hands along the wall for guidance, I came to a turn and followed it into a short, narrow hall. It was smaller from the other one. It grew smaller as I reached its end, the sunlight from outside shining through it, piercing the darkness and leaving the doorway aglow.

My heart now pumping a bit faster in excitement, I now know it's working fine, I strode over to the small arch and peeked through it, immediately regretting so because of the light now shooting into my eyes. I shielded them with my arm and now got a view of what I was wearing. It was the clothes I would wear under an armour, kind of like undergarments or something like that.

I was wearing a black, sleeveless shirt over black shorts. I know…why black in the middle of Egypt? Aren't I melting? Well, to be honest, not really. I've adapted to these types of surroundings so I wasn't really bothered by the heat. In fact, it seemed like home. I breathed in the fresh air, the first of many breaths I will hopefully take after being awaken, and sighed contentedly.

"I missed you sun," I smiled, talking to myself and the star above me. Now setting my amber eyes onto the landscape around me, I found myself on the deep side of a sand dune. I guess this was how they kept my tomb hidden from tomb robbers and bugs. Glancing back up at the sky once more, I gave the sun a strong salute, then began heading for the temple across from the dune. Instinct told me to head there. I thought I would see someone from my past. It was a strong feeling.

After reaching the gates to the temple, I wondered why it was the only relic left untouched. Maybe it was supposed to help with the prophecy? I wouldn't know until I tried going in. So, taking a deep breath, I walked through the stone archway and let myself in.

Scanning my eyes over the empty room inside, I was a little confused. I thought there would be people living in here. Why else would this temple still be standing in the middle of all the ruins? There was a well, or what was left of it, just a little ways away from where I was standing. My feet took me right to it and I gazed down, trying to find the end, but coming out unsuccessful. It looked like it went on forever. Just like my life if I didn't get an understanding of what to do now.

"You're here," a voice suddenly said from behind me. My body tensed and my shoulders squared. It sounded familiar, though… almost like…

I turned around, slowly, and found my scarlet eyes locked into some ocean blue ones. They looked so familiar… it couldn't be…

"…Isis?" I asked hesitantly, my voice filled with curiosity and confusion, and now it looks like my eyes would soon be dripping with tears. How was Isis here? Was she supposed to be resurrected too?

But soon the stranger's eyes saddened and she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "but I'm not your original caretaker. I'm her reincarnation."

My heart dropped but it still stayed somewhat in a normal position. I raced towards the Egyptian clothed woman and hugged her tightly, trying to feel something similar between my caretaker and her. There was something familiar… I think it was the way her heart was beating next to my ear.

"My name is Ishizu," she said, placing a soothing hand onto my head. The tears I was holding fell down my cheeks.

"Ishizu…" I tried the name from my own tongue. It seemed exotic, like a rare flower, but I wasn't sure of its meaning. I detached myself from her and apologized. "Sorry about that," I said a bit sadly. "I just… you're a link to my past, I just know it. That is why I didn't feel so alone anymore when I saw you, and immediately hugged you to death."

Ishizu smiled. "It isn't a problem," she said. "I understand. You miss your original caretaker."

I nodded, my head bent down to look at the ground.

"Do not worry," she assured me, then pointed to her chest. "She's always in your heart. And if you need anything, just let me know. I'll help."

I nodded again. "Thank you."

"Now then," she said, getting straight to business. "My name is Ishizu Ishtar and I'm a tomb keeper, keeping guard of the Pharaoh's tomb until he arrived, just like my family did for five millennia. Now that he's back, you had to be reborn too. You know of the Prophecy, correct?"

I nodded my head, with determined eyes. I remember the Prophecy. I was there at the hearing and everything. I was in it.

"I know that I'm a 5,000 year old spirit," I started. "and that I was reborn to help protect the Pharaoh once again."

"But do you know why?" she asked. "Do you know why the both of you needed to be resurrected?"

I looked at Ishizu questioningly. "Now that you mention it…" I said slowly, "I've only been told that much… but why…"

Ishizu continued, hoping my questions would be answered. "You were reborn to help the Pharaoh save the world again." My eyes widened. I hadn't known. I thought… Actually, I didn't know what to think. I hadn't really thought about the _reason_ for my rebirth. The only thought on my mind was the fact that I needed to protect the Pharaoh. That was it. Until now, I'll know more.

_"Five thousand years ago, powerful Egyptian Pharaohs and sorcerers played great and terrible games called "Shadow Games". The stakes were very high in these games, sometimes ranging from wealth to life. Opponents summoned monsters from a dimension called the "Shadow Realm". The monsters battled each other until one fell. The one standing was declared the winner. But one day, the monsters got out of control. They destroyed countless villages, sabotaged homes, and killed many. Suddenly, a powerful Pharaoh emerged from the darkness and had shown light. He used his magic to seal the dark magic away into seven Millennium Items. He couldn't permanently defeat the evil, but he did lock it away. Over time, evildoers somehow were able to control the magic and released the dark energy. They are now going to use that magic to dominate the world. That same Pharaoh who had saved the world in the past will now be reborn once again with his Guardian, so that together they may save the world from the evil once more."_

I stared at Ishizu, blinking and wondering how she came to know this.

"May I ask you something?" I asked tentatively. Ishizu nodded. "How do you know so much about this? It was recited at the Prophecy Recitation, but you couldn't have been there."

"My family and I have been waiting for the Pharaoh's spirit and your spirit to be reborn so you could save the world together," she explained. "I was told this so I could be ready." Reaching into the folds of her white, Egyptian dress, she pulled out a long gold chain, following it was a heart shaped locket. My eyes widened for the second time that day. And it's only been a short day…

"This is yours," Ishizu said, carefully placing the gold Locket into the palms of my hands. I gaped at it, speechless.

"This is… It's my…" I couldn't find the right words for it. It was millennia since I laid my eyes on my Item. I had given it to Isis for safe keeping. She probably hid it somewhere for her reincarnation to find. She knew she will have a reincarnation? Oh, right… The special kind of 'power' she had must have helped her. Her Millennium Necklace is a strong Item, letting Isis see the future in bits and pieces.

"That is right," Ishizu said. "This is your Millennium Locket."

I was at a loss for words as my memory began working again. "I received this… from my parents," I whispered aloud. "It's the Millennium Item that couldn't be passed down from generation to generation. It's only meant for one person. …me…"

I grasped the Locket into my hands and walked to the nearest wall. A mirror encased in a gold frame was hanging on it. As I approached, I met my reflection. I wanted to see the Locket around my neck again, but my reflection after years caught my attention.

I saw long red hair, reaching just above my hips. Slim bangs over my eyes. A slim, athletic body, with an average chest for a girl of my age. Then there were my eyes. I never knew they were a vibrant shade of red, almost gleaming with mystery. I blinked curiously before clasping the Locket around my neck, letting the heart rest on my collar bone. A bright golden light emitted from it for being reunited with me, its owner. It blinded both Ishizu and me for a minute and we shut our eyes. It died down quickly and the familiar warmth radiating from it seeped into my skin as soon as it dimmed.

"Destiny had chosen the right person for the job as well," Ishizu acknowledged. "You are a wonderful Guardian, truly shielding the Pharaoh with yourself."

I smiled thoughtfully. "I do try my hardest," I admitted. It was then I remembered something from my past. It was when I saw the Pharaoh for the first time, after I graduated from the magic's school.

_I entered the main room, where the throne sits, and on that throne sat the Pharaoh. Behind his seated figure, because of his shyness, was the Pharaoh's son hiding from the new person entering the room. He was the person I had to protect when he became Pharaoh of Egypt. From that moment until the end. He peeked from around the throne and looked at me with curious eyes every once in awhile. I had secretly thought it was cute._

_I walked up to the throne. As I bowed down, the Pharaoh's son looked around the seat again and stared at me for a few moments. When I was straightening myself back up, I glanced over to where he was standing. He blinked curiously and quickly hid behind the safety of the throne. I blinked too. The Pharaoh welcomed me into the palace. I introduced myself formally and said it was an honour to meet him, his son, and his Sacred Court. He decided it would be a good idea if the future Pharaoh and I met then so he called his son over and told him to say hello. I bent down in front of him too and said with my head low, "Hello my future Pharaoh," I greeted. "It is an honour."_

_The boy smiled. "It's nice to meet you too," he said. My name sounded like music from his voice._

_He raised a friendly hand toward me, and I accepted it. As youngsters, we hated being so formal. "My name is _." That's funny… I thought for sure I knew his name…_

I was brought back to the present when a hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned to face Ishizu, who was giving me a worried look. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

I searched my brain for a reason for forgetting the Pharaoh's name. How could I be so careless? I just started in this modern world and already I have forgotten his name? "I'm sorry Ishizu," I said sorrowfully. "I don't remember his name. The Pharaoh's."

Ishizu, surprisingly, didn't look surprised at all. "The reason you don't remember his name is because you weren't supposed to remember it. No one was," she explained.

I blinked. "But… wait, why?" I asked.

"Remember the magic that was so powerful that _it_ was the reason the Pharaoh was able to lock the dark magic away?" she asked, quizzing me.

I breathed in, gasping, "His name…"

"Exactly," Ishizu said. "The Pharaoh's name was so powerful that he sealed his soul into the Millennium Puzzle and erased his memory so he can regain it and save the world once more 5,000 years later. His name could destroy the world, when fallen into the wrong hands, or save it, when it's in the right hands."

I nodded. It seemed like there was more to this Prophecy then what I was told. There were some things I needed to find out when the Pharaoh did. But first… I need to find him and then everything could start. I couldn't wait until I could see him again. Standing tall and confident against everything else...

"Thank you so much Ishizu," I said, giving her another hug. She didn't mind and merely smiled as she hugged me back.

"Any time."

I smiled one last time, and headed for the entrance to the temple. Looking around, trying to remember everything, I started my new adventure. This life would seem like the beginning of a whole new story.

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**Author's Note: **Oh my, that's pretty long! Well, for a revised chapter, anyway. x'D Anyways… hope you liked it. XD Tell me what you thought of this revision! Thank you for reading! ^^

_"The same Pharaoh has been reborn to save the world. With the help of his Guardian, will they be able to win once more?"_


	3. The Heart of the Cards

**Latest Revision: 22/07/12**

**Author's Note:** All righty everyone! Along with the rest of my Season 2 fanfic, I am going to rewrite Duelist Kingdom and maybe another chapter or two somewhere else. It's been a bit confusing to some people, and I don't mind at all if people review that they are confused, because I need to know about it. So, I don't mind it at all, okay? Cool. XD And another reason is because they are way too sketchy. x'3 So now... ladies and gentlemen, hope you enjoy Duelist Kingdom... all over again. XD

A young boy has solved one of the greatest puzzles of mankind. The terrifying Blue-Eyes White Dragon makes its first appearance. Yugi Mutou and his friends are faced with a challenging threat. Does the young boy have the power to win? Or does he have strength no one will ever understand? His once known Millennium Puzzle looked nothing more than another puzzle. What mystics are in play?

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Chapter 2**

The sun was floating high up in the sky, shooting its warm rays down upon the high school. It was break time in Domino High and all the students had ditched their school books for a basketball or the seating chart to sit next to their friends. Many people ran outside to play basketball with the guys while other students stayed inside and hung around with their friends. Like a group of teens at a desk near the window.

"C'mon Joey! Make a move!" Yugi Mutou encouraged his friend Joey Wheeler from his seat opposite of his blonde headed friend. Yugi and Joey were playing the card game Duel Monsters. It was a pretty interesting game, considering the fact it was so complex with all the spell, trap, and monster cards. This game included cunning and strategic methods to defeat opponents. Yugi was known as a pretty good player by his friends, mostly because he was more skilled. Joey was only a beginner at the game, and right now, it seemed as though he couldn't decide on what to play.

Yugi wore the Domino High School uniform, consisting of blue pants and a blue blazer thrown over a white shirt. A beautiful, golden upside-down pyramid pendant was hanging around his neck by a smooth rope. It shone mysteriously beneath the light of the room. Yugi's kind smile was just as incandescent as the sun. All the boys wore the same uniform he was wearing, and the girls wore a blue skirt with a pink blazer, a blue bow on their collar.

Yugi had the prettiest of amethyst eyes, always shining with care, kindness, and perception. Although he was short for his age, he still stood out from the rest of his classmates with his unique hairstyle. His hair was black with magenta highlights and his golden yellow bangs framed his face. His smile was his best feature, always brimming with happiness.

"Hmm..." Joey looked through his whole hand of cards, a little confused on which card he should play, but he didn't hold a nervous gaze. Oh no, he held a determined one. Like he would find the card he was looking for soon.

Joey Wheeler was tall, just like the other two friends of the boys, and he had soft, blonde hair. He was the jock of the group, the funny and intimidating guy. In fact, him and Tristan could be passed as twins. They were almost the same except for their looks. If there would ever be any trouble, they would both fight through it with their fists drawn. Like guardians of their friends. Both of the taller boys had brown eyes, but Joey's looked a lot like honey under the sun, while Tristan's looked a lot like chocolate.

Tristan Taylor, another one of the boys' friends, popped up behind Joey who was thinking so deeply that he didn't notice him standing there. Until his head was caught in a friendly headlock.

"Awww. Isn't he cute when he's thinking?" said Tristan playfully, ripping Joey's glare from his cards.

The blonde gave him a smirk with a vein pounding on the side of his head. "Hey Tristan," he said, greeting his pal. "Yugi here is teaching me how to play Duel Monsters."

Tristan blinked in confusion, still not loosening his grip on the blonde. "Drooling Monsters?" he asked, mishearing.

The vein on Joey's head pounded even more and he lightly shoved his friend away with his hand. "DUEL Monsters, you nimrod!"

Tristan fell back into step with another friend of theirs. This one was special. She was the glue to their friendship and she always knew there was some way to get through everything life threw down at them. She was Yugi's first friend and she would stick by everyone no matter what. She wore the high school's uniform for girls, and it brought out her ocean blue eyes and brown hair very nicely.

"Sheesh," said Tristan, brushing himself off from the shove Joey gave him. He didn't seem all too impressed by it, and it didn't mean for Joey to go on ahead and just shrug him off.

Téa Gardner, the girl Tristan was standing next to, gave him an apologetic smile in courtesy of Joey. "They've been at it for a while," she explained. "Joey is starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's like an expert. He's been trying to beat him all day but can't seem to figure out a way to get around Yugi's cards."

Tristan blinked. "Oh."

The blonde had played a level-2 monster card with 200 attack points and 400 defence points. It was a warrior card. Téa decided to explain to Tristan what the game was about so he would understand why it was taking a while for Joey to choose a card.

"See, each card has an attack number and a defence number," she said, pointing to the two numbers on the bottom of the card. "When opponents' monsters attack, the monster with the highest attack number wins the round, and the difference is taken out of the losing person's life points. First player to eliminate their opponent's life points wins the duel." Tristan seemed to be able to understand now, and with a nod directed to Téa, he started focusing more intently on the game.

"Pretty good move, huh Yugi?" asked Joey cockily, like he has already won the duel. He was so sure Yugi wasn't going to be able to get past this monster. He seemed pretty impressed with himself.

Yugi smiled at his friend's move. "Yup!" he nodded. "Pretty good move..." Then he put down one of his own cards for his turn which turned the tables around. It was a level-4 monster card; a dragon type, with 1500 ATK and 800 DEF. Joey's card was no match for it. Yugi smiled again at his friend when he saw him gawking at it. "But not good enough," he said.

Joey shot to his feet. "What?" he lamented. Then he gave his buddy a glare which he knew that Yugi knew was supposed to be only meant as nothing but the reaction to the outcome of the duel. "Thanks a lot. A card that powerful totally wipes me out!"

Tristan laughed at his friend's try. "Man, Joey!" he said. "You stink at this game!"

Yugi smiled at the two. Joey was about to jump out of his seat to run after Tristan, but he kept his cool and stayed put. "You did fine, Joey," he said. "I just have better cards. You see, my grandpa owns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him."

Joey blinked at his friend. "Your own game shop?" he asked slightly incredulous at this tidbit of information. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!"

Yugi nodded. "Sure," he said. "We'll go there after school. Maybe while we're there, my grandpa will even show us this super rare card he's got." Everyone agreed and then went back to seeing Joey try to beat Yugi all over again. It seemed like the boy wouldn't ever give up.

A few seats away, a teen by the name of Seto Kaiba, who was CEO of his company Kaiba Corp., was sitting at his desk reading. That was until he overheard what Yugi and his friends were talking about. He cast his steely blue eyes over the group of people not too far from him. A few of his other classmates had also joined them, interested in seeing the outcome of another duel between the two friends.

_Rare card?_ he thought to himself curiously. His vivid ocean eyes returned to the words on his page as he thought over this new found information. _Could they have found the card that I've been searching for?_ For a while now, this CEO has been on the hunt for a legendary card, one known to be one of the strongest in the whole game of Duel Monsters. He had his reasons for going after the card, and if Yugi's grandfather had it, it meant that he was close; very close in obtaining a very valuable card.

It was finally after school and as the day had gone on so did the boredom, until Yugi reminded his friends that they were headed for his grandfather's shop. Everyone was excited and began heading their way down the sidewalk, led by Yugi. The sun still shone brightly and there were no clouds in the sky, making it a happy day amongst the teenagers. Especially if they were able to see a rare card Yugi's grandfather owned. It wasn't everyday you could.

Yugi led his friends through the door to the Game Shop, a small bell rang when they walked in. There were shelves filled with games and the counter at the far end of the shop was a display case. In it, there were tons of colourful cards, probably rare ones that could be sold individually or popular ones that could be sold easily. Behind the counter-display case was an old man with the same hair as Yugi, but with different shades of grey, and which he kept up with a black bandana. He wore a white collar shirt under green overalls and he seemed kind. He held this sense of warmth and understanding around him, a sense you usually get when you're around elders that just means they don't mean harm. It only means that they're there for you.

"Hi, grandpa," greeted Yugi as he and his friends approached the counter. "I'm home from school."

The man gave his grandson a kind smile. "And I see you brought company." he said. "What brings you youngsters here?"

"Gramps, I was hoping you could show my friends your super rare card?" Yugi asked hopefully, wanting to see the card himself. He had heard of it from his grandpa, but he had never actually seen the thing.

Grandpa Mutou blinked. "Rare card?" he said. "My special card?" He placed his chin in his hand and looked away for a second. It didn't seem like he was ready to trust anyone enough to only look at it. "Hm..."

Yugi put his hands together and pleaded, "Please! Please!"

Joey joined him and bowed to edge their point. "Pretty please?" he asked with a grin.

Mr. Mutou thought for a while longer before glancing over to the two. Then he chuckled and nodded. "How can I refuse?" he said, before reaching into a pocket of his overalls and withdrawing a small brown box. He placed it onto the counter and everyone huddled around it, waiting to see what the rare card would be. Like a treasure from the bottom of the ocean; something rare.

Yugi's grandfather opened the small box and from it, he carefully brought out a Duel Monsters card. The picture on it showed a beautiful white dragon with incredibly bright blue eyes. It looked majestic and stunning with its wings outstretched and the numbers at the bottom reaching so high, no one in the gang has ever seen before. It was a level-8 monster with 3000 ATK and 2500 DEF. Yes, the card was both rare and powerful.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon," said Mr. Mutou with a hint of pride in his voice. "It's at the top in Duel Monsters and it's so rare and so powerful, I never let it leave my hands!"

The gang gawked over the sight of it. Everyone stood there, trying to get every corners' glance just to soak it all in. After a moment, Tristan took it from out of Mr. Mutou's hand and held it up to investigate. He didn't seem at all impressed by it.

"It doesn't look all that special to me," he said, and before he knew it, Mr. Mutou had snatched it back into his hands with the rest of the gang sweat dropping at Tristan.

"This card is priceless!" said Mr. Mutou, holding the card close to him. "There are only four of them in all the world!" Yugi thought for a moment. It was cool to know his grandfather had one, but now he wondered where the other three were.

"Speaking of priceless," said Joey, cutting in to save Tristan from getting a scolding. "I'm ready to trade!" So it seemed like he would trade his cards instead of paying for them... based on the priceless comment.

Mr Mutou turned away, still holding the card close to his heart. "Not for this card," he said, a little too overprotective.

Joey blinked, but realized what Mr. Mutou meant. "Huh? Nah I didn't mean that card," he said. Then he looked around the glass case for some inspiration to save himself too. "I... meant... show me some other cool cards to get me started."

Mr. Mutou seemed to like that idea much better. He placed the rare card back into its box without putting on the lid back on in case the gang wanted to see it some more. He was just about to ask Joey what kind of cards he was looking for when the door to the Game Shop opened and that same 'ding' came from the bell once more. Everyone turned around to see who had just come in. When they saw who it was, they nearly jumped out of their skin.

"Hello there," greeted Mr. Mutou, not seeing the difference in the teenagers around him. "Can I help you with something?"

The stranger scoffed as he kept the door open with one hand while in the other he was clutching a silver briefcase. Standing there in all his proud glory, was the CEO from the beginning of the story.

"If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me," said the man.

Seto Kaiba was also a tall one, standing with such a confident stance that he scared away all opposition at his meetings. He had chestnut brown hair and blue eyes as cold as ice. He wasn't the type to place nice. He was all about intimidation and power.

Yugi blinked and asked in slight shock of his own, "Seto Kaiba?" Joey yelled the CEO's name as well from surprise.

Tristan stuffed a hand in his pocket and brought his school bag over his shoulder. "Kaiba?" he asked, regaining any memory of the man from ever meeting them. "Doesn't he have a big fancy company to run? What's he doin' down here?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card," said Kaiba, and his eyes showed severity, something fierce, like if you didn't get out of the way, he would trample you.

Joey stepped in front of everyone at the mention of a card. He had no idea the great CEO of one of the world's largest companies was interested in games. A new expression came to pass and it was one of invitation. "Hey, are you into Duel Monsters too?" the blonde boy asked the brunette with a very small and hopeful smile on his face. Maybe they could get along with the connection of having common interests. "This is perfect! Maybe we can all duel together sometime."

The CEO smirked and made his way farther into the shop until he came face to face with Joey. "Me? Duel you?" he said, a bit malevolently. "I would have more of a challenge playing Solitaire." He had no intention of being friends with anyone.

Joey became confused on what this guy was saying. "What?" he asked.

"I am the number one ranked duelist in the country and the favourite to win the Duel Monster's championship," he said, still not the least bit interested in Joey and his friends. See, all business. "Hunh. You wouldn't even last two minutes in a duel against me."

All thoughts of being friends with the guy drained from Joey's mind and his face fell into a frown. "Oooh, I'm shakin'," he said, with his own voice being just as ferocious as Kaiba's. "Maybe we should settle this with fists instead of cards."

Yugi quickly stepped in front of Joey and held his hands up to make him stop before he did anything he would regret. "Woah, take it easy Joey," he said.

"But, Yugi," said Joey in protest. "Kaiba's asking for it."

"Now, does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?" said Kaiba, ready to sue the people who own the place if he didn't find what he came here for. He was about to say some other retorting comment about the shop, or lack of anything valuable, when something caught his eye.

His eyes had landed on the unclosed brown box still sitting on top of the counter-display case which was still holding the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card inside. Kaiba's usual cold, blue eyes widened at the sight of it, and he pushed his way through everybody to get to it.

"Can it be?" he asked no one in particular. "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon? In a dump like this?"

His chest almost heaved at the sudden surprise of finding this card in a place he least he expected it to be in. 'It is...' he thought, still staring at it. 'The card I've been searching for...'

Mr. Mutou saw his shock-stricken face and knew where this was going. With the swift flick of his wrist, he popped the lid back onto the box and pulled it back towards him. "Well, enough window shopping," he said with a small glower at the man. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Kaiba looked annoyed. Now that the card was literally within his reach, he wasn't going to leave without it. With a swift movement of his own, he placed his briefcase onto the countertop, and as he unclasped the locks to open it, he swung it around to show Mr. Mutou what he was offering for the one card.

"Give me the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and I'll trade you with all of these!" Kaiba practically demanded. The gang looked over his shoulder or from over the counter top to see what was inside. They were cards. Rare cards. Every rare card you could think of!

Mr. Mutou stayed perfectly calm while everyone else admired the rare cards. Yugi's grandpa didn't even seem to be choosing between his Blue-Eyes and Kaiba's briefcase full of cards. He had his mind set on his card, and while Kaiba might have thought he was going to be intimidated by it, he wasn't.

"Ah, nice," said Mr. Mutou. "but, no thanks."

Everyone stared at grandpa Mutou in shock. _Why did grandpa give up an offer like that?_ Yugi questioned to himself. _What makes that Blue-Eyes so special to him? It couldn't be because of its power... there's gotta be something else, because by the looks of things, the cards in Kaiba's briefcase could easily match up somewhat close to the Blue-Eyes in power. Not exactly the same kind of power, but he would have had tons of cards that were both rare and powerful instead of one!_

_So, why would he give it all up?_

Kaiba looked just as surprised as everyone else did. He wasn't expecting anyone to abdicate his proposal of rare cards for the Blue-Eyes. But, he _will_ get that card. Another idea soon hit him.

"Fine," he said. "If you won't trade, maybe you'll sell it. Name your price, I can pay anything you ask!"

Mr. Mutou looked at him with soft eyes. "I'm sure you could," he said. "but this card is worth more to me than you could ever offer. Not because of its power or because it's so rare, but because of what it means to me. This card was given to me by a dear friend. So I treasure this card just like I treasure my friend. So parting with it is completely out of the question."

Kaiba was almost shaking with anger. He never, let us say this again, never expected someone to ever give up _both_ offers! Could this card really be that special to him?

It all made sense to Yugi, though. His grandfather always told him to treasure his friends and the friendship they shared. Not parting with the card, because his friend gave it to him, was a sure sign that grandpa does treasure his friends.

"You'd feel the same even if it was a common card, right grandpa?" asked Yugi, now understanding the bond between his grandfather and his friend through the Blue-Eyes card. Unbeknownst to anyone, Kaiba clenched his fist from the anger he felt toward Mr. Mutou's words.

"Exactly," Mr. Mutou replied to his grandson. "You see, this precious card has bonded with my heart."

Kaiba had heard enough. If the way he vigorously shut his briefcase and walked away from the counter-display case wasn't enough to show how cross he was about Mr. Mutou's decision, his scoff before heading out the door would have sealed the anger. "Fine," he said. "I've heard enough of your nonsense." When he was just about to open the door to the shop, and that familiar ding of the bell rang throughout the air, he muttered under his breath, "Senile old fool."

Everyone in the gang and grandpa stared after him just as he was getting into his limo for the ride home. Something about this character didn't make sense. Why would he want the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card so much? There were three others too, maybe he could go find them. Maybe they weren't even owned yet. They weren't in this game shop but perhaps another one had them.

But they had no idea that their questions might be answered in a much horrible way then a simple worded answer.

Sitting in the back of his limo, and while the driver at the front drove him back to his company's building, Kaiba was nearly radiating with tense anger. With his arms crossed, he scoffed to himself about what nonsense the man was talking about. _Heart of the Cards..._ he derided. _Ridiculous! These cards are all about power! And one way or another, his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card... will be mine._

After he reached his company's building, Kaiba made his way into his office and his first order of business was to get his men to do something for him.

"Gentlemen," he said, "There's a little something I'd like you to pick up for me at the Game Shop." Seated behind his dark maple wood computer desk, Kaiba was stunning, a man of power, allies, and business. No one would dare step into line with him, let alone over it. They were very intimidated by his superiority in the gaming business but even more so at just his presence.

"Gladly, master Kaiba," said his leading henchmen. The shadows of the room from lack of light outside obscured his face, making it hard to see what he looked like, but Kaiba trusted the man. For he was the one who always took his stepfather's side when he was adopted. He had pushed him to his limits in his studies and never let him take a break. All that tough work made him into what he was. A cold, almost heartless person. He had a sort of soft spot though, but it was only kept for his little brother.

Kaiba nodded, his cold eyes sharp and illuminated with an unnaturally greyish light just by the light from the moon outside his office window. The smirk on his face was striking, it was his classic weapon. He almost had the card in his grasp. He could almost feel it's shiny and smooth surface between his fingers.

"Excellent."

The man Kaiba had instructed directly to go to the Game Shop arrived there during the early afternoon of the next day. The light streaming down by the sun above cast short shadows of the men who just reached the Game Shop's door. They opened it, and after that small little ding from the bell hanging on the door, Mr. Mutou stopped his dusting of the display cases lining the walls of his shop to look up and see who it was.

"Good morning, " Grandpa's voice stopped short when he saw who it was at the door. His brow furrowed in suspicion.

Two tall, and almost too fit to be burly, bodyguards along with a shorter man stood in the doorway. The bodyguards had on business suits and shades over their eyes while the shorter of the two was wearing a butler's outfit, complete with a purple bow tie and yellow coloured glasses. The scene looked like something from a kidnapper's movie, but it wasn't all too different here either.

The shorter one stood forward. "My master, Seto Kaiba, challenges you to a duel," he said. "You will come with us now."

Mr. Mutou stayed put. He made no notion to move. With his hands behind his back, he said, "And if I were to decline?"

Something flashed across the mystery man's glasses. "I'm afraid I must... insist," he replied, almost as cold as his master. The two bodyguards behind him took one step forward, ready for any drastic measures if necessary.

'Young Kaiba doesn't understand,' thought Mr. Mutou. 'but I'll teach him a lesson about the Heart of the Cards...' With that lesson, hopefully Kaiba will truly understand why he wasn't willing to give away his Blue-Eyes White Dragon to him before. Now with this duel, hopefully that lesson would come to pass.

It was after school on the same day as the teens from yesterday appeared in Yugi's grandfather's shop once more in hopes for Joey to get some more cool cards. He was really determined to beat Yugi in a game. They walked in through the doors to the same little bell chime just as Yugi called in.

"Grandpa!" he said. "I'm home!"

There was no answer. The shop left an eerie and mysterious silence in its wake and the gang felt a chill run up their spines. Something was horribly wrong.

Joey tried next, in case Mr. Mutou didn't hear his friend. "Hey Mr. Mutou!" he shouted. "I'm here to get more cards!" He scanned the room for any signs of the elder man. Then he shrugged to his friends.

"Maybe he... went out?" suggested Téa, also not understanding where he could have gone.

"Maybe," agreed Tristan. "but why would he leave the door unlocked?"

Suddenly, the silence was split with the ringing of the store phone. Yugi walked over to the wall it was attached to, behind the counter, and picked it up, thinking for the time being that his grandfather was probably upstairs.

"Hello?" he called into the phone after putting it up to his ear. "Game Shop."

"Ah, Yugi," a deep voice said from the other line. "Perfect."

Yugi recognized the voice. It belonged to the same man who him and his friends met yesterday to get the Blue-Eyes from Mr. Mutou. "Kaiba?" Yugi gasped into the phone, surprised.

"Your grandfather's here visiting, but he's not feeling well," said Kaiba and all thoughts of his grandpa being upstairs vanished from Yugi's mind. What was left was this cold feeling of dread. "Why don't you come by my office and pick him up?"

"Kaiba!" said Yugi, just as he heard some shuffling on the other line, which could only mean Kaiba was about to shut off the phone. "What have you done, Kaiba!" But it was too late. The line went dead.

Without wasting another moment, Yugi hung up the phone and quickly told his friends what was wrong. In a split second, everyone dashed out the door of the shop and sprinted as fast as they could to the Kaiba Corp. building. They couldn't believe what Yugi was filling in along the way. Why in the world would Mr. Mutou be at Kaiba's building in the first place? It seemed like a trap if Kaiba didn't stick around to explain anything more about it on the phone.

When the group of teens finally reached the entry doors to Kaiba's company building, they burst through the arc, ready to bring Mr. Mutou home from who-knows-why he was there in the first place. After stepping into the elevator to go up to meet Kaiba, the doors shut and the elevator began moving up. They waited with eager tensity, Joey and Tristan not being able to wait from sudden adrenaline running through their veins. Not out of excitement though, out of worry for grandpa.

When the elevator stopped at a wide open room with nothing but a door on the opposite wall, the doors opened and everyone shared a collective gasp. There, almost on the verge of unconsciousness, lying on the floor, hurt, was Mr. Mutou. One of their worst fears had been recognized.

"Grandpa!" Yugi shouted, running out of the elevator to fall on his knees beside his grandfather. With tentative hands, and eyes on the point of leaking with tears from seeing his grandfather like this, he helped him onto his elbows. "Grandpa, are you okay...?"

With the strength he could muster at the moment, Yugi's grandpa looked up at his grandson with small droplets of sweat beading his face. "Yugi, I failed," he said. His voice was strained. "I wanted to teach that boy Kaiba a lesson about the Heart of the Cards, but I lost." His strength diminished and he crouched down from his elbows.

"Grandpa..."

The door on the other side of the room opened and a bright white light illuminated the figure standing before it. A tall figure that ignited a dark aura about the room.

"How's the old man feeling, hm?" he asked slyly. His eyes were darker than normal, like they were clouded with dark thoughts.

"Kaiba?" yelled Joey out of pure outrage, clenching his fist. His honey coloured eyes blazed with pure anger. "You sleaze! What have you done to him?"

"We had a duel, that's all," Kaiba said smugly, not even fazed by Joey's anger. "With each of us putting up our most valuable card as the prize. But I guess playing against a champion like myself was just too much stimulation for the old fool."

Téa pointed at him accusingly with her ocean blue eyes just as narrow as everyone else's. "Kaiba!" she said. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"It was fair," said Kaiba. Then he pulled something from out his pocket and showed it to the gang, savouring their shocked faces. "And look at the sweet prize I won."

Then... he did the unthinkable. Everyone thought he was after the card to gain it, to control it. But when he gave it a half turn, and everyone watched in horror at what he was about to commence, a new question popped into their minds, but this time, it wasn't about the card, it was about his thinking.

Why would he do such a thing?

After giving the card a half turn, he... ripped it in two!

Why? After going after the card and finally gaining its power, he went ahead and ripped the card. What sort of sick and demented game was he playing?

Everyone gasped as the two pieces of the card fell to the ground, like petals of flower raining down from the sky. Heartbeats nearly stopped at the incredible dismay and horror from seeing grandpa's card in shreds.

"Grandpa's most treasured card!" cried Yugi.

"Yes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a rare and powerful card," agreed Kaiba, but with a bad edge to it. "And this one will never be used against me."

Mr. Mutou reached out a shaking hand towards the thrown bits of card. "Ah, my Blue-Eyes White Dragon," he said, his voice weak. "M-My treasure!" He winced and suddenly curled his hand back into him. His body was in pain.

Yugi held his grandfather's shoulder, worry and ultimate concern carved into his once happy features. "Grandpa, hold on," he said. He was on the verge of tears. He couldn't believe he was seeing his grandfather so hurt like this. "Kaiba, how could you do such a thing!"

Mr. Mutou reached up a hand to his grandson, but he held something in his fingers. "Yugi, here," he said, still keeping his voice very much strained, forcing himself to say the words he wanted to and fighting against the border of unconsciousness which was pushing into him. "Take this."

Yugi looked down at his grandfather. "Grandpa..."

"I built this deck, " said his grandfather weakly. "I put my soul in these cards. And I taught you everything I know, Yugi.

"Take them. Take my cards and teach him respect. Teach Kaiba respect about the Heart of the Cards, Yugi."

Yugi shook his head. "But grandpa," he said. "You need help. I've got to get you to a doctor."

Kaiba stepped down from the platform attached to the door as a step. "Sounds like an excuse," he said, his eyes still the same shade as cloudy dark blue. "Your friends can care for your grandfather...nwhile you and I duel."

He smirked. "Unless you're afraid," he said. Yugi gritted his teeth in anger at him and the bottoms of his eyelids blocked the tears from escaping. He didn't want to duel Kaiba and leave his grandfather lying on the floor. He wanted him safe and away from this place. Joey's voice stopped him from thinking any further.

"Take him, Yugi!" he said. Yugi gave him a look of confusion. "We'll take care of your grandpa while you take care of creepy Kaiba. Teach that rich spoiled brat what a real duel is all about!"

"For your grandpa, Yugi," said Téa, and it was then Yugi saw something in everyone's eyes that was different. It was determination. For him. They believed that going up against Kaiba would teach him about respect. Just like what his grandfather said. And they believed he was the one for the job.

But Yugi was still unsure. He appreciated his friends' help, but he really thought he should personally make sure grandpa was okay first before he dueled Kaiba. "I don't know..." he said.

"Trust me," said Joey. "You're like the best player I've ever seen, and you've got the Millennium Puzzle. You can do this, Yugi. I know you can!"

"We all do," said Tristan, giving his pal a thumbs up for encouragement.

That seemed to spark some courage in Yugi. A small glimmer of the feeling spread through him with ease, and he knew his friends and grandpa were right. He had to duel against Kaiba. After the boost, Yugi gave his friends a determined nod before turning back around to his grandpa. He took the deck of cards from his grandfather's shaking hands and said. "Okay, grandpa. I'll do it."

"I know you will, my boy," said Mr. Mutou. He believed his grandson would win too.

Téa brought out a marker from her pocket, it was probably still in there from school. "Everyone," she said, grabbing everyone's attention and unclasping the cap on the marker. "Put your hands together, and I'll mark us with a special sign." Everyone did as they were told, not really knowing what Téa had in mind. With a few simple, but artistic strokes, Téa drew a circle over everyone's hands, as if their hands, when put together, made paper. Then inside that circle she drew a smiley face.

When she was done, everyone removed their hand and looked it over. Joey was the first to blink and stare at it before saying his comment. "What gives, Téa?"

"It's a symbol of our friendship," she said. "So when Yugi's dueling, no matter how tough it gets, he'll know that he's not alone. We're all right there with him."

Yugi gave her a grateful nod. This really meant a lot to him. Now he wouldn't feel as though he were dueling all by himself.

The gang called the hospital from Téa's cell phone, and just as the ambulance pulled up at the front entrance to the building, Téa. Joey, and Tristan ran out of the archway with Tristan carrying Mr. Mutou on his back.

"Joey," called Téa, just as they stopped at the back of the ambulance. "Tristan and I will take Yugi's grandpa to the hospital. Why don't you get back in there and cheer Yugi on?"

Joey nodded and made a move to run back into Kaiba Corp. "Okay," he said. "Take good care of him, Téa." And with that, both parties were on their way.

Back inside the building, on the floor Yugi was supposed to duel Kaiba, there was a small strain of tension. Never had Yugi gone up against the champion of Duel Monsters before. This was certainly both an honour and a tragedy. Kaiba wouldn't be forgiven for what he did to grandpa.

Turns out the door Kaiba had emerged from was the room in which they were going to duel in. The size of the room was almost like putting five average-sized rooms into one, while the ceiling was incredibly high. There were rows of stone seats lining the perimeter of the room, with large pillars holding towering statues in every corner, and a green grid with white lines on the floor in the middle. On the north and south walls were columns of stone in which hid the compacted stands for the players and on the ceiling were six rectangular boxes that showed the life points for each player at every angle no matter where one stood in the room. In the space in the middle of the rectangular-made-circle was a hexagon with thick wires and cables holding it up onto the ceiling. Right now, each rectangular box read "Yugi: 2000, Kaiba: 2000".

_Hopefully when the duel ends_, Yugi thought to himself, _I'm not the one with zero life points on that counter_.

"I designed this virtual stadium myself. Impressive, hm?" Kaiba said to Yugi, pretty impressed with himself. Yugi looked around to take in his surroundings, but he didn't forget the reason why he was there. But he would have to admit, it was intimidating.

"I think you'll agree," continued the CEO. "It adds a bit more life to the game." The way he said the word "life" sent a small shiver up Yugi's spine. It didn't seem right to him.

Both duelists stood on the sections of the duel stadium that were compacted into the stone columns. When they had unfolded and stretched out to reach the green grid did they stop moving and did Kaiba start telling the rules.

"We each begin with 2000 life points," he said. "First player to hit zero loses."

He gave Yugi a smirk, thinking it would be easy to beat him. "Are you ready to play, runt?" he almost sneered.

Yugi furrowed his brow in determination. "Playtime is over, Kaiba," he said and without really thinking, or knowing what was going on—only knowing that the sudden burst of courage triggered something unusual—a bright golden light blasted out from within his Millennium Puzzle, engulfing Yugi in it. His head tilted to the ceiling and an unfamiliar cry escaped his lips, and to go along with the cry, unimagined symbols never before seen by the teen encircled around his feet with spirals of sky blue smoke shooting along with them. Ocean blue light, this time, shot out of the ground around him, and he soon felt himself change. Not only physically, but mentally too. It was like he became a whole different person.

When the blue light twirled upward into the ceiling, he was back. But this time, he knew he was completely different than how he was when Kaiba challenged him to a duel. No longer did he feel like shying away from the challenge. He actually felt like he could duel circles around the brunette. Even the look on Kaiba's face showed him that something had happened.

"Ah, what the—" Kaiba was stunned. This Yugi was suddenly taller and the look in his usual amethyst eyes, the one of averse and gentleness, was replaced by almost glowing and exotic crimson eyes. They held more determination than the brunette had ever seen and the utmost courage too. What just happened?

(**Author's Note:** When Yugi's in control, I'm-a give his proper eye colour but when it's the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, he'll have his red eye colour. Just letting you know. ^^' Thanks.)

"Now, Kaiba," said the unknown man, but Kaiba kept his identity as Yugi who he was dueling. He just thought his mind was playing tricks on him. "Prepare yourself, because it's time to duel!"

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Kaiba: 2000**

Kaiba pushed the thought from out of his mind of there being two Yugis. "Virtual systems, ready," he said, activating the dueling platform that they were floating high above. Both players drew their hands to start the game and the life points on the counter above their heads glowed, signalling it was ready.

Kaiba drew from his deck and then chose a card from his hand. "Let's begin," he said, placing the card he chose to start the duel off with onto the dueling mat laid out in front of him. The whole mat was placed upon a dashboard, showing the player how their opponent played their cards (attack, defence, face down, etc.) and their current life points. The mat shimmered for a second before the hexagon on the ceiling glowed an eerie green colour.

"I attack with the mighty Hitotsu-Me Giant," said Kaiba and the green began to glow more. "Brace yourself, Yugi. You've never dueled like this before."

Suddenly the green glow turned into a circular pillar of green sparks falling down to the floor on a square on the green grid. The monster's shadow flickered before Yugi who was staring face-to-face with the Hitotsu-Me Giant in virtual graphics. He stood there, tall and scary, with one eye and green scaly skin.

"He's brought the monster on the card to life!" exclaimed Yugi, taking one step back from the thing he wasn't expecting. It looked like the monster was 3-D; almost real.

"It's my virtual simulator," bragged Kaiba. "It creates life-like holograms of every Duel Monster." The Hitotsu-Me Giant gave Yugi a growl, only to prove what Kaiba had said.

Yugi gave the CEO a sharp glare. He realized now why his grandfather had been so weak when they found him. "So this is how you beat my grandfather," accused Yugi. He drew his first card for the duel too and held it up. "I'm not going to let you get away with this. It's my turn. I call on the Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress!" He swiftly settled the card he was holding onto the mat, sitting in front of him on a dashboard like Kaiba's, and watched the stream of green-light snow onto his side of the green grid, this time, making a blue dragon with sharp white teeth appear.

Just then, Joey dashed into the room to do what Téa had told him to do, which was to cheer Yugi on for everyone. But when he got there, all thoughts drained from his mind as he stared up at the two monsters glaring at each other as if to strike.

"Whoa!" he said astonished by their size and, not to mention, the fact that they were life-like monsters. "Monsters? Real Monsters?"

The Hitotsu-Me Giant darted in for an attack, but Yugi was ready. "Fireball attack!" he yelled and the dragon he had summoned blasted a bright orange ball filled with fire straight at the giant. It hit him straight on and shattered him into holographic pieces. The blast was so huge and bright from the impact, Kaiba had to shield his face to refrain from getting scorched.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Kaiba: 1800**

Just as Kaiba's life points dropped down from 2000 to 1800, a young boy with raven black hair and shy, deep purple eyes ran into one of the balconies built into a row of stairs behind Kaiba. "Big brother!" he shouted out of worry. "Are you alright?" So the two were brothers? They didn't look anything alike. But if you look a little closer, you could see the same thing in their eyes. It was a small spark and very hard to see, but it was definitely there. And that precious spark was care.

Even if the great CEO Seto Kaiba seemed way too bad, he was actually much nicer to his younger brother. But he never dared to show it to anyone else. They would think he was weak. And he couldn't let that happen.

Joey clenched a fist in amazement. "All right!" he cheered. "Go Yugi!"

Kaiba didn't seem all too fazed. It was like he always got hits like that but he also always managed to win afterwards. Letting his opponents get a head start and to let them think they were winning were parts of strategies everywhere.

The CEO drew his next card and smirked when he saw what it was. "Hunh. Well played, Yugi," he said. "For a beginner."

He put down another monster card. "But how will you deal with this?" he taunted. His monster appeared onto the field in a shower of sparks, and when Yugi saw it, he wasn't all that impressed.

"Saggi the Dark Clown?" questioned Yugi. "But that card has hardly any attack strength."

"True your Winged Dragon's attack is 1400, while my Dark Clown's is only 600," said Kaiba nonchalantly with his arms crossed. He was very confident with this play. Then he played another card. "but if I combine it with this card..." he said.

Yugi seemed to catch on. Since it was against the rules to summon two monsters in the same turn, and Kaiba played another card this turn, it could only mean that he either placed a magic card or a trap card. But since he also said something about combining the card with Saggi, it couldn't be a trap card. So that could only mean that Kaiba was planning to use a—

"Ah, a magic card."

Kaiba smirked, realizing that Yugi was catching on to the game quite well. _But he won't ever defeat me._ "Exactly," he said. The card showed the letter "E" with blue and yellow lightning streaks all around it. "The Negative Energy Generator. It multiplies my monster's attack by three."

Saggi decided to prove what Kaiba meant. So after the card was put into play, a black spotlight encircled Saggi and he immediately grew in size; triple to how small he was before.

"Dark Clown, attack with Dark Light!" Saggi did what he was told and by raising his arms, he bolted a shot of black energy straight into Yugi's dragon. The monster shattered.

**LP: Yugi: 1600/Kaiba: 1800**

"As you can see," boasted Kaiba, with a proud smirk on his face, as he watched Yugi's life points drop to 1600. "Combining cards can be very effective."

_He's good..._ thought Yugi to himself, clenching his teeth in slight frustration. _He knows every aspect of this game._ Yugi placed a hand over his deck to draw the next card. _But my grandpa put all his gaming knowledge, his whole heart, into assembling this deck. I have to believe that it holds some secret strategy._

He pulled the card off from the top and saw what it was. It appeared to be a right leg to some sort of monster but it only had 200 ATK. Not enough to beat Saggi. He released a small sigh. _This card is _useless, he thought. _I can't beat the Dark Clown with this. I'll have to use a different monster._ An idea suddenly struck him. To place a monster in defence mode. _The monster will be sacrificed but my overall life points will be safe._

He placed a monster in defence mode, hoping that it could withstand Saggi's attack. Kaiba ordered his monster to attack Yugi's, which only turned out to be Sangan, weak compared to Saggi, so it was destroyed. Even though Yugi's monster was demolished, he didn't lose any life points, seeing as how he put the monster in defence mode.

Joey banged his clenched fists onto the stone railing he was standing behind. "Hang in there, Yugi!" he cried.

For the next few turns, it had been almost like Hell. Every time Yugi summoned a monster, it would just get destroyed by Kaiba's monster. Saggi seemed almost unbeatable! And the more Yugi's monsters kept going to the graveyard, the more Kaiba savoured the sweet almost-victory. He was very close to making Yugi lose. If he succeeded, he'd become even darker than before!

"You're not fairing any better than the old man did, Yugi," sneered Kaiba. "Your deck is just as weak and feeble as your grandfather."

"My grandpa is a great man and a better duelist than you'll ever be!" Yugi rejoined. How dare Kaiba insult his grandfather! His crimson eyes burned with conviction. "He entrusted me with his cards and I can feel his heart in this deck."

Yugi gave Kaiba a small glare, yet it was filled with intensity. "I doubt you have that kind of Faith in your cards, Kaiba!"

Kaiba's smirk seemed to falter. It was the Heart of the Cards talk again...

Yugi held his hand over his deck and with a new burst of determination he said, "But I believe in my grandpa's deck!" He pulled off the next card and slowly brought it up, only to see what it was and begin his own smirking spree. "And my Faith rewards me with Gaia the Fierce Knight! With a destructive power of 2300!"

The card was activated and, from out of a stream of green sparks raining down from the hexagon block above, materialized a knight on horseback, wearing extravagant armour and sitting upon a dazzling horse. Gaia's armour gleamed under the artificial light given off from the ceiling lights. Kaiba faltered completely, not able to comprehend how Yugi made his comeback. The knight drew up his lance and darted forward, the horse's hooves pounding across the grid. The sharp point of the lance struck the Dark Clown with precision and shattered him into nothingness.

**LP: Yugi: 1600/Kaiba: 1300**

Joey threw his fist into the air. "Way to go Yugi!" he cheered, happy that his pal got through that tough monster. It _seemed_ unbeatable, but when you think about it hard enough and not give up, you tend to make miracles happen.

Is that what was going to happen today?

Yugi crossed his arms with defiance and smirked. "All right, Kaiba," he said. "Your move."

"Hah," smirked Kaiba, even though one of his strong monsters was just destroyed. Why in the world was he so mellow? Could he be planning something? "This'll be over sooner than you think."

He drew his next card and something flashed across his eyes. It was too hard to understand what it could have been, but Yugi understood what it was when he summoned the monster he just drew.

"I call on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he said and before Yugi's and Joey's eyes, a shining white dragon emerged from the green sparks of the summon. It stood mighty and fierce upon its powerful legs and roared with certainty. The gleam of darkness in Kaiba's eyes appeared again. The blue eyes of the dragon, shining.

Yugi was in awe. "Ah, no way!" he said. He couldn't believe his eyes. Neither could Joey. How in the world did Kaiba get a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card when everyone saw what he did to it before this duel started?

"Impossible!" cried Joey. "We all watched Kaiba tear that card in half!"

Kaiba snickered. "Surprised?" he asked in a taunting manner. "Did you think your grandfather was the only one to possess the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

The great beast opened its jaws wide and produced a burst of blue electrical energy in its mouth. Then it launched the attack at Gaia, demolishing Yugi's monster and sending his life points tumbling.

**LP: Yugi: 0900/Kaiba: 1300**

"Hah, your Fierce Knight is destroyed," said Kaiba. "Faith or no Faith, you _will_ fall before my superior monsters, Yugi.

"Power is what this game is all about, you fool. Faith is for losers, like your pathetic grandfather."

Yugi clenched his teeth, discouraged for a moment. There wasn't a card in his deck that could stand up to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. And as the turns passed by with Yugi only being able to defend with his monsters once more, Kaiba pulled another trick from out of his sleeve.

"If you can't stand up to one," he said, drawing his next card and giving it a small smirk when he saw what it was, "what hope do you have against two?"

The air beside the first Blue-Eyes rippled and from within a shower of sparks appeared another Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba had two of them?

"Why don't you just admit defeat, Yugi?" Kaiba provoked. It was a pretty tempting idea, but Yugi didn't even go near the thought.

A small voice in the back of his mind, sounding a lot like his grandfather, said "Don't give up, Yugi." He knew his grandfather was counting on him to win. He couldn't give up now!

"I won't give up. Grandpa's counting on me," he said. Then he drew his next card and his heart almost skipped a beat. It was a magic card. "Swords of Revealing Light!" he cried, activating the card. White swords with a slight green glow about them shot through the air from above, locking themselves into place around Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons. This magic card stops all monsters on the field for three turns.

"How desperate," scoffed Kaiba. "What possible good will a three turn delay do you?"

Yugi looked down at his cards, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. _He's right... What do I do?_ His hand only consisted of some cards that looked like a bunch of pieces to something._ I can't figure out what to do with these cards! They're just a bunch of... pieces._

_How can I use them to battle an expert like Kaiba?_

'For someone claiming to have Faith, you're giving up too easily, Yugi,' a familiar voice echoed in his mind. Yugi turned around in the darkness to see a lighted shadow of his grandfather. He was a little surprised he was there, but he was also glad.

'Listen,' he said. 'sometimes the cards are like a puzzle. You have to put all the different pieces in their proper place.'

Yugi kind of understood what this version of grandfather was saying. 'Oh, like the Millennium Puzzle?' he asked, looking down at the upside down gold pyramid hanging around his neck. It had taken him eight years to complete the Millennium Puzzle, and he even decided to give up a few times too, but he kept going. For something at the end. A wish.

Yugi's grandpa nodded. 'Exactly,' he said. 'Each piece helps build a greater entity.' Then he began to vanish and Yugi found himself reaching for his grandfather into the darkness.

'_Grandpa!'_

'_Like the pieces of a puzzle, Yugi. Remember.'_

_Puzzle? When are the cards like a puzzle...?_ Then a thought struck Yugi; a flashback. _Wait! Grandpa once said..._

It was back at the Game Shop one day when Yugi was listening to one of grandpa's many stories. A question had popped up about which Duel Monster was the strongest, and grandpa had said this:

"Duel Monsters contains only one unstoppable monster, Exodia. But he can only be summoned by drawing all five special cards. A feat that to this very day no one has ever accomplished."

Could it be that grandpa has... Exodia in his deck?

"Quit your stalling, Yugi," demanded Kaiba, slightly irritated by the lack of response from the boy in a while. "Or you will forfeit the match!"

Yugi glared at his opponent. "I never forfeit," he commenced drawing his card and his eyes immediately widened at what it was. It was another piece of the puzzle! Another body part; the right arm! Until he could get all the pieces into his hand though, he placed a monster onto the field in defence mode.

"Draw any card you like, but it won't change a thing," sneered Kaiba. My dragons may be frozen for another two turns, but my new monster is under no such spell!" He summoned a monster to the field, the Judge Man; a burly monster with two spiked clubs. Kaiba ordered his monster to attack Yugi's face down defence card. It had an attack power of 2200 so Yugi's defence monster couldn't stand up to it and was destroyed.

Yugi's turn to draw. He drew a spell caster known as the Dark Magician. Long purple robes adorned his figure and a light teal staff with an orb at the end was in his hand. He had a higher attack power than Kaiba's Judge Man, 2500, but when the Swords disappear, he won't be able to contend with Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

He went with it and played the card. After more green lights, the spell caster appeared onto the field. "Dark Magician, attack!" The magician held up a hand and expelled a shock wave at the Judge Man, shattering him to pieces.

"Your Judge Man falls," said Yugi. And so did Kaiba's life points.

**LP: Yugi: 0900/Kaiba: 1000**

Kaiba put on an act of sadness from his monster being destroyed, but he was actually much colder. "Oh, a sacrifice that doesn't even faze me," he said. Then he held up the next card. "And though neither dragon can move for one more turn, my next card is... the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

What? That was impossible! Kaiba had all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons all along? Yugi and Joey couldn't believe their eyes. When the third white dragon materialized onto the field and struck down Yugi's Dark Magician did the two realize that it was no joke. Kaiba really did have all three!

So why would he go after Yugi's grandfather's card? It was only one against the three he already had. But then it hit him; he wanted to be the only one in control of the beast. The mighty power it held—he wanted to be the only one to master it and the dragon. So he ripped Mr. Mutou's card in half, that way no one else could use his own dragon against him.

It all made sense now.

And it was that type of avidity that was going to be Kaiba's downfall.

But Yugi didn't have any monsters he could use to defend now, not until he could draw all five cards of the Forbidden One.

"So tell me Yugi," said Kaiba. "where's your Faith now?

"On my next turn, all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons are free to attack. This game is over no matter what card you draw."

Yugi didn't want to believe it, but what if it was true? Kaiba had all three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards on the field and he only had one turn to draw the last card to complete the Forbidden One. He had a whole deck sitting in front of him, what if it was at the bottom?

_No!_ he scolded himself. _I have to believe that I will draw it this turn! Otherwise this whole duel would have just proved that Kaiba has all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons._ He still had a feeling in the back of his mind telling him that there was still a chance the last piece to the puzzle was at the bottom of his deck. And every time he watched the Blue-Eyes White Dragons stir, getting restless from not being able to attack anything, that feeling grew. He really thought he was going to lose.

"You can't possibly stand up against my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. It's over, Yugi.

"You were never a match for me."

Joey knew what Kaiba was up to. Along with his Blue-Eyes staring Yugi down, the brunette was trying to taunt Yugi into forfeiting the duel himself. He tried making it seem like there was no hope. "Don't listen to him, Yugi!" he shouted over to his best friend. But Yugi looked through his cards like he was about to break.

_My only chance now is to assemble all the pieces of Exodia. But the odds are against me._ That feeling in the depths of Yugi's mind grew and soon it almost overpowered him. _I don't think I can do this..._

When he reached over his deck to draw his next card, his deck moved away from him. Surprised, his eyes widened. 'The deck. It senses my doubt!' cried Yugi, shocked, but it wasn't his own voice. It was deeper like the different person that Yugi turned into to duel Kaiba. To make matters more confusing, Yugi's spirit almost disconnected from his body. Then that deep voice told him what to do.

'Don't lose focus, Yugi! Don't lose Faith! Concentrate!' The two spirits joined again when Yugi began concentrating harder. He felt like he should listen to this voice. He sounded confident. Then they both saw it. The mark on their right hand. The symbol Téa drew on all four of them; Joey, Tristan, Yugi, and herself. The symbol of their friendship. Then he saw every one of his friends circled around his deck. They had their hands in and the part of the smiley face that wasn't there was on Yugi's hand.

It was another puzzle. But he didn't need a lot of thinking to figure this one out.

Each of his friends wore a warm smile. "Yugi, we're right here with you," said Téa. And then the words she had said before came back to mind. Téa made the friendship symbol for this exact reason; to tell Yugi that he wasn't alone. During the tough spots, like right now, his friends wanted to tell him that they were supporting him no matter, no matter how far away they were from each other.

"Yugi, you've got to believe in yourself," said Tristan next. That was another valued point. On the brink of losing, he couldn't just give up. He had to believe in himself that he could win, no matter how much the odds were against him.

"You can do it," said Joey last. "Just kick Kaiba's butt."

With his friends beside him, how could he not?

The feeling of dread evaporated and a new feeling of hope shined through the doubt. Yugi was filled with exceptional and new determination from his friends' words. "They're right," he said, looking down at his extended hand over his deck with a brave smile on his face. "I've got to believe in the cards like my friends believe in me."

"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi," said Kaiba and his face told Yugi he was overconfident that he would win. It seemed to the brunette that there was no way he could lose, not when his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons were on the field at the same time.

But Yugi was about to change all that.

"My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba," he said as he drew the card that would seriously end this duel. Then he held it up to show Kaiba. "But it does contain... the unstoppable Exodia!" It was the Forbidden One's head.

Kaiba's eyes widened in horror. "What? Impossible!" This is ridiculous! How in the world was Yugi able to draw Exodia! He had the beast in his deck in the first place? It seemed unfathomable! He had this match won!

Yugi laid down all five cards to summon Exodia. "I've assembled all five special cards," he said to Kaiba. "All five pieces of the puzzle!"

A ten pointed blue star swivelled into the field. From the point on the upper right appeared a left arm and on the upper left a right arm. From the bottom right point appeared a left leg and on the left a right leg. And finally, from the point at the top, a head appeared. It was definitely Exodia, the Forbidden One. Never had the CEO been against such a beast, only because no one he ever faced had Exodia in their deck. The pieces to summon him were extremely rare and it was impossible to get all of them. Now he knew there was no way out of this. He lost. He couldn't believe it, but he lost.

Exodia towered above his dragons like a skyscraper, and the dragons were merely streetlamps. The giant beast had his golden hands and feet in broken chains, now being summoned and not being contained in his cards, he didn't really have anything to be chained to anymore. He stood in front of Yugi, ready to demolish Kaiba's monsters.

"Exodia..." Kaiba staggered back from the fall of his determination. "It's not possible! No one's ever been able to call him!" From this day, Yugi changed everything.

And not only from the help of his friends, but also from the help of a friend-to-be.

"Exodia," said Yugi, feeling the strength and courage within him growing just by the sight of his monster and his nearing victory. He beat Kaiba. "Obliterate!"

From his hands, Exodia summoned a ball of golden light. He threw it at the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, making it explode halfway into the throw and destroying all three of them at once, finally defeating Kaiba.

**LP: Yugi: 0900/Kaiba: 0000**

"You did it!" cheered Joey, proud of his pal's victory. He always knew he would defeat Kaiba. "Yugi, you won!"

However, the younger boy in the stands who was cheering for his older brother couldn't believe his eyes. "That can't be!" he said. "My brother never loses!"

"You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost," said Yugi. "But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do."

He watched Kaiba try to regain himself from the blast, but the look of ultimate horror hadn't left his face and he clung to the dashboard, rereading the life points and the cards' positions over and over again, thinking the whole time that it couldn't have been true. "But... but how?" he cried. "How could I have lost to _him_?"

Yugi had had enough. All Kaiba thought about this whole time was power and making people get on their knees. He had to put a stop to this. "Kaiba," he called. "if you truly want to know... open your mind!" With a thrust of his hand into Kaiba's direction, Yugi sent a powerful shock wave that shattered Kaiba's mental state. The brunette fell to his knees in exhaustion from being overpowered by his dark and power hungry side.

"There, Kaiba. Maybe now, you can begin to see."

Crimson eyes that held wisdom and determination... Who could this be? Yugi hadn't known what really happened—all he thought was that he was dueling Kaiba. But this other side, this other _presence_... was unbeknownst to him.

At the hospital, where Tristan and Téa were in grandpa's room, waiting for him to wake up, he stirred and his eyes opened. Téa, who was sitting beside his bed side, smiled with relief. "Grandpa's awake!" she cried, overjoyed. Tristan smiled as well.

"Yugi won," was all Mr. Mutou said. He knew his grandson had won. He could feel it in his heart.

* * *

**Author' Note:** Ahah! 17 pages on OpenOffice!... jeez... XD lol. So! The whole point of this chapter was to set the time for everything. So my fanfic doesn't start from, like, three weeks before Duelist Kingdom or three weeks after. XDD lol. It was just to set the time. Hope you liked it! I personally thought it was a very big improvement from the chapter I had put up before. XD That one went to fast. Thanks **Hotaru-the-Firefly** for pointing that out. So, I decided to sit down and make the very first chapter, introducing everyone in the gang, better. ^^ Hope you liked it, and hopefully along with my Season 2 fanfic, I'll rewrite the rest of Duelist Kingdom's chapters. Because they are sketchy too. Thanks for reading!

**OH AND A NOTE!:** I'm going to put everything, that's right, EVERYTHING (so even Duelist Kingdom when I rewrite it) into FIRST PERSON VIEW! Many people enjoy that view over the other one. You know... with "YOUR POV" hopping up in every chapter. XD So I'm-a fix all that, and hopefully it'll go good! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing everyone! I greatly appreciate it! ^^

_"I feel like I'm in another body. My mind is my own and I see two of me. Confusion is only half the battle. The other is curiosity. Where am I? And, how did I get here?"_


	4. New Place, New People

**Latest Revision: 22/07/12**

**Author's Note:** All righty! Chapter 3... Hope you guys like it! In this one... we'll get to see Sarah meeting the gang. I just rewrote this chapter and now hopefully it makes sense. XD Thanks again. :)

**Rewrite Fiasco:** I'm going to be rewriting everything I think needs rewriting. Like the chapters with "YOUR POV" written all over them. I used to like that POV a lot before because the reader can experience the story but...it doesn't really work. I mean, I can't get it to work. ^^' So that's my fault.

To those of you who like that POV, I'm really sorry. But I can't get the feel for it in my story. So I'm going to change it to the first person POV. With this POV it'll make more sense. Hopefully. ^^' I will post up a new chapter and let you know, but sometimes, I won't be able to post up a rewrite of any chapters until after a longer while. AGAIN, it may take me a longer while to rewrite stuff than updating newer chapters. *shot* I know, I know. It's sad. ^^' But it depends with the time I have. Thank you. ^^

Thanks for reading! Both the note and the chapter! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to message me! Thanks again! ^^ Hope you like the rest of my stories! XD

The Guardian of the Pharaoh has now been resurrected; her rebirth triggered by the Pharaoh's own awakening. When shall both meet, and begin their new adventure, together? One won't have any memories of the other—or even himself. The other walks with a half mended heart, which is slowly blending away into her determination. Two once friends... are now nearly strangers to each other now. The Guardian meets the Pharaoh's host and is now set to dive into the Prophecy.

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Chapter 3**

The minute after I walked through the temple doors and into the sunshine, I inhaled a huge amount of breath. It felt so good to finally be able to move around again after being trapped in time for so long. The Gods kept me sealed well and I was unbelievably grateful for them, so very much.

The sun, as usual and even after 5,000 years, still shone high in the sky, shooting its rays down and onto the sand, sending a wave of warmth in every direction. Golden sand dunes towered above the ruins settled beside the temple; broken towers and homes that were as old as me. This was the oldest part of Egypt and it was from my time. I know because of the simple sense of home I felt. And I know because my tomb was in one of those ancient sand dunes.

When I took my first step on the warm sand, the heat immediately soaked into my bare feet, enlightening me with warmth beyond imagination. It felt so nice to be home... even though it had eroded away from so many years. Still, even if home was physically gone, it wasn't completely gone from my heart. I would treasure it always inside.

As I stood there with my head held high, just immersing myself in the beautiful warmth and feeling it all was making my heart soar, I heard someone walk across the stone floor behind me leading into the temple. I curiously looked over my shoulder to see Ishizu. She had a thoughtful look on her face and she was holding a black duffel bag that seemed like it was going to burst.

I arched an eyebrow at her to which she smiled. "I believe you need to go find the Pharaoh," she said. "You seem to be doing something much different."

I blushed slightly when I noticed she was right. "I was just... trying to get the feeling of living again," I said sheepishly, hoping it sounded much better than saying, 'Oops... I wasn't thinking.'.

Ishizu nodded. "I understand," she said. "You haven't been awake for 5,000 years. Isn't the sun beautiful?"

I smiled and said, "Yes... yes it is. I missed it so much, I suppose I decided to take a tiny break."

"It was a good idea. You may need it before you start your hard journey. I have some belongings in this bag that I've prepared for your arrival."

My smile softened and my heart thumped in appreciation. "Oh... thank you," I said, taking the bag into my hands. It wasn't as heavy as I was thought it would be by the way it was bulging. It must be only full of clothes. "That's very thoughtful of you."

"I knew you would have nothing to wear but those under-armour-clothes." I sweat dropped sheepishly, thinking how right she was and wondering what I would've done if she wasn't here. "The information of what was to happen of you and the Pharaoh was passed down between my family's generations. It was said that you would need help in preparation, so in the generation you were to be resurrected, the tomb keepers of the time need to make sure you had everything you needed in order for you to start your journey. I hope everything suits you."

I couldn't believe so many generations of people were told to help me. I felt truly grateful to have a family waiting for me in order to pass on belongings. Even though my family perished... "I am deeply gratified," I said with a smile. "Thank you so much. I'll send my thanks to your past generations too when I pray for those who've moved on."

Ishizu held up a reassuring hand. "It wasn't a problem," she said. "They were glad to help and they were told you would definitely be appreciated."

I held the bag in my hands tightly, thinking that I would pray for them when I get to where the Pharaoh was. That part was still bugging me; I had no idea where he would be. "The Pharaoh was supposed to be resurrected when someone completed the Millennium Puzzle to release his soul, right?" I asked Ishizu, just making sure if I had heard right at the Prophecy Recitation. That day, the Court recited the Prophecy of the Pharaoh when he was sealed into the Millennium Puzzle. I was sealed away too, so I could help him when he was reborn.

She nodded, staring at me uncertainly. "Yes, I believe so," she said. Then realization dawned her of my problem and she seemed to smile, as if I asked this question in perfect timing. "I almost forgot. I already know where the Pharaoh has been reborn."

My heart almost shattered against my rib cage in surprise. Now that I thought about it, I was honestly very confused on which way to go to get to the Pharaoh. If Ishizu hadn't brought up the subject of what I was doing not a few moments ago, I would've probably been circling the desert looking for an answer for who knows how long. "You know where he is?" I asked, a slight bit of hope in my voice. For if Ishizu truly did know where the Pharaoh was, I wouldn't have to be so clueless. It would help me immensely.

Ishizu gave me a nod and then touched her necklace—which I just noticed to be the Millennium Necklace... the same Item Isis had. It must have chosen her because she was Isis' reincarnation. It still shone as brightly as it did before.

"My Millennium Necklace has shown me a vision not a moment before you were reborn," she said. "It showed me a glimpse of where the Pharaoh has been freed from the Millennium Puzzle. Domino City, Japan."

Japan... the name seemed exotic and soft all at once, like a fairy tale. "Who's the one responsible?" I asked curiously. The Puzzle was complex, with all its intricate and shining gold pieces. The one to solve it would have to be someone with the utmost determination, because it wasn't just any kind of puzzle. With it being an ancient item and made from the knowledge of Ancient Egyptians, it had to be incredibly difficult. The Millennium Puzzle was a puzzle that only one person could ever figure out.

Ishizu closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember what the name was exactly. After a short moment, she opened them, and I was met with her vivid oceanic blue eyes once more. "The boy's name is Yugi Mutou," she said. "He attends Domino High School and he is your age. Well... not including the 5,000 years, that is."

I nodded, thrilled I have so much information for my journey already. "So... Domino High School in Domino City, Japan. Yugi Mutou?" His name felt quiet on my lips, like a delicate flower. Those two words flowed together beautifully. It made me a little eager to see him. I wondered what he would be like.

"That's right," she said. "Now, the plane tickets are in your bag. I've already reserved your seats to Japan from a city not far from here called Cairo..."

I blinked at what she said. "I'm sorry... plane?"

Ishizu blinked once before realizing what had me so confused. "Of course. You haven't seen a plane before." After a nod, she decided to explain a little bit about them. "They're a way of transportation over long distances, mostly from country to country. They hold passengers and fly near the top of the troposphere layer in the earth's atmosphere."

I nodded, my eyes widened a bit in surprise. "That's pretty high," I commented.

"It is, but there is nothing to worry about. They will fly you to Japan, safely." Ishizu gave me a soft smile. "Would you like me to come with you just in case?"

I gave her a sheepish smile. "That's awfully nice of you," I said. "but I believe I understand enough to go by myself. And I don't want to tear you away from your work here."

Ishizu didn't look saddened at my refusal. She actually looked slightly relieved. "All right, if you say so. There were actually some things that needed my attention and I have to see to them as quickly as possible. But I have some thing else to tell you.

"When you reach Domino City, you need to go to the apartment complex near Domino High School. I've reserved that area for you too, so you have a comfortable place to stay instead of troubling yourself. The keys to it are in your bag and you'll know which building it is when you see your name on the door. I believe that is all..."

She gave me a small smile, and a twinkle of light enlightened her already vivid eyes, like she knew something no one else did. Of course she would... she had the Millennium Necklace which showed only her the things to come. "I wish you all the best on your journey. And hopefully... we will meet each other along the road."

I shook her hand formally and nodded. "Of course," I said. "I'd love to meet you again. And again, thank you so much for your help."

She gave me a slight nod and turned around to disappear back into the temple. Once again, it was only me and the sand around me. I have a bag of belongings that will help me with my adventure, and soon, I was about to find the Pharaoh. I was left with a tonne of new information, all for my well being, and felt my heart flutter at the sympathy from the generations of people who've been so committed to help for my return. I was definitely going to pray for everyone who was involved for their own well being. Something like this wasn't about to be passed by as nothing.

I've been waiting a long time for this moment. What did I feel? Like I was so close. So close to the Pharaoh now than I have ever been before, even if he was over thousands of kilometres away at the moment. But it was better than having him trapped in the Millennium Puzzle and me in the Dungeons. Then we were as far away as we could never imagine.

How would he be feeling right now? Certainly not like how I feel. His memories have been lost and he has no path made for himself. But I'm going to change all that. I'm going to help him recover his memories and then together, we could finish what we've started.

So what if everything we've been through was part of the memories lost? ...I couldn't just blame him; it was Destiny's will. Now I had to get my job done properly so we could start all over again. Even though some of the memories wouldn't return the same. It hurt me to know that he wouldn't remember anything about me, when I first learned of his Fate at the Prophecy Recitation, and I couldn't do anything to prevent it. And I certainly couldn't dwell in the sadness of being forgotten. I had to move forward. I couldn't just stay back now; I have to move forward.

I thought about this as I looked through the bag of belongings Ishizu had given me. I pulled out a pair of blue shorts and a long white t-shirt. I looked them over in curiosity, thinking about how different they were compared to the clothes we used to wear back in Ancient Egypt. Without a hesitant thought, though, I pulled them on over my under-armour-clothes, which I wore only as a default. (That's what I call 'em. Yep. xD) Then I found a kind of shoe near the bottom of the bag for my feet. With a thoughtful shrug, I pulled those on too. Everything was comfortable, but definitely not seen before. I suppose I had to get used to them.

Then I heard a light crunch, like someone crumpling paper into their hands, when I patted down the shorts over my under garments. I froze instantly, wondering what in the world that was, and reached into the pocket to pull out a piece of paper, which seemed to be crackling so much, I thought it would break. But it was nowhere near breaking point.

My eyes scanned the photo in my hands and I felt my eyes widen and sting. What I was holding in my hands... was my family photo, probably created by Ishizu and her family to make me remember my family more easily. My heart batted against my rib cage uneasily just at the sight of it. I mean... it had been so long since I've actually seen some proof of my family's existence. Even if they were in my heart and I remembered them, sooner or later, I would've needed solid proof. They were gone an awfully long time and I was probably starting to wonder if I actually _did_ have a family to begin with.

This picture had both my parents and my brother and me; with my brother in my father's hands and me in my mother's. It seemed so long since we were a family... and so long since they were alive. A stray tear found its way out of my eyes and I quickly wiped it away. I couldn't just break down at the sight of the picture either, no matter how much I wanted to. I pocketed the picture in a leather cover I found in the bag, probably to use as a wallet, and placed it in my pocket. I heaved a sigh before clutching the bag in my hands.

Here I go.

* * *

_Hm... Ishizu said Cairo, right?_ I asked myself wonderingly as I watched the oncoming crowd of people grow as they boarded or transferred themselves into or out of the planes. I was currently situated in Cairo Airport, just making sure I was in the right place before moving on to give my plane ticket to anyone so I could get on a plane. Everyone seemed like they were in a rush to get somewhere and I wouldn't blame them. Apparently the tickets could only work if you're on time.

So that made me slightly anxious. Since Ishizu had gone through such lengths to get me this ticket to Japan, I couldn't just hang around until someone says, "Oh, you're too late."

The crisp clean walls of the airport almost glowed white, as if they were just painted. A glass roof was fixated metres above to let the sun's rays enter. It was a busy place, with people bustling around getting ready their belongings and tickets from counters on one side, while other people were just getting their suitcases or boxes from the other. I never anticipated such an extravagant place, other than the Pharaoh's palace of course, but in this building, when I stared up at the ceiling, it was like I'm so close to flying without having to use the machines man made. It felt more free and my heart almost decided to try out the theory. But first... I had to find a way to board my flight... and not daydream...

Thankfully, an announcement over the intercom caught my attention and pulled me instantly out of my current predicament. "Flight 148 to Domino, Japan is now boarding in Gate 12. Please have your boarding passes ready." A sudden stream of people began heading down the sign that read "Gate 12". I tilted my head thoughtfully to the right thinking that maybe that was the way I needed to go. The same announcement came on again only a few moments later and I was confirmed of the gate number. With my duffel bag clenched tightly in my right hand, and my ticket in the other, I followed the crowd of people onto the plane.

I felt excited. I believe it was excitement because I was finally going to be able to see the Pharaoh again after so long. I missed him. He wasn't only a Pharaoh to me... he was a friend of mine too. A really good friend. Since he was sealed into the Millennium Puzzle, that usual happy feeling I had around him diminished, and what replaced it was sadness and loneliness.

I was all alone again. Ever since my family was taken away from me, I've had this void inside me. A horrible feeling that I knew existed because the people I closely cared for were gone. When Isis started caring for me like I was her own, that void was beginning to fill with the warmth of her affection. To me, she was my mother again. But I knew there would still be a scar over my newly healed heart. I didn't even think my heart had fully recovered from losing my family in the first place.

Oh, and when I became his Guardian... The feeling of finally being able to contribute something, it was immense and it filled me to no end. At first, both the Pharaoh and I were simply dutiful; both determined to finish whatever task we had at hand, to be assertive, and to only know each other from a distance. I was only his servant after all.

But then time went by and we couldn't help ourselves to be a bit closer. We became the closest of friends, sharing our happier moments together, always smiling, and simply enjoying each other's presence. The void in my heart started to heal even more, and just when I thought it was completely fixed, the healed parts just shattered to reveal the void all over again, and I was again left in sorrow.

The Pharaoh trapped himself within the Millennium Puzzle; a consequence he was willing to pay. He needed every bit of power from his Item only to seal the evil we were fighting against away. He couldn't destroy the evil, but could only be reborn again so he could defeat it. When the Puzzle shattered, so did his memory. He wanted to hide something. Something important too. And decided it was for the best.

Now, finally sitting in a seat aboard Flight 148 to Domino City, looking out the side window to the disappearing country I will always call home, I finally understood what I was getting myself into. I had guarded the Pharaoh back then as much as I could have, but I still wasn't able to save him. He had the power to lock the evil away. I couldn't save him from that. He gave himself up so Egypt could live in peace, until that evil returned.

My awakening was triggered by the Pharaoh's awakening. All the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle were needed to be put together in order to release his soul. If I had been reborn, then that meant that he was back. The whole way onto this plane, my heart couldn't stop thumping excitedly.

I get to see my friend again.

Then my heart beat slowed and my face almost paled. "But he wouldn't remember me..." I sighed solemnly, feeling my heart strings clutch at the painful truth. It hurt me to some great lengths with the knowledge of him not having any memories of me at all. But before I could even begin to cry, I pursed my lips and looked over the pieces of paper I found in a plastic bag, hidden within the side pocket of my duffel. It was filled with information about the flight and the apartment. Ishizu must have put them there in case I would forget or just needed to double check. I wasn't about to forget this experience. It was like being reborn into the world, and I had to remember every little detail of it in case it would help either the Pharaoh or me. Sad, mad, or excited; I was still on a mission. I couldn't afford to look so weak. Not just look, _be_. I couldn't _be_ this weak. It would throw me off my game. I was usually a strong person, and I was not about to change that composure now.

Over the duration of the flight, I came to realize just how real my rebirth was. My soul was honestly and truly in my body; my own flesh and blood which I abandoned 5,000 years so my soul could be trapped to be reborn now. The ability to use my senses again was electrifying. I looked a little more closely to the disappearing landscapes out the window. The colours were bright and absolutely beautiful. The sun's rays were shining in all directions, making golden circles appear in my eyes. My vision was vivid and careful, taking in every detail of colours, lines, curves, and other elements and principles of nature's art. The plane passed through fluffy clouds, momentarily fogging up the window.

_Everything seems so strange... _I thought as I kept staring out the window and onto the different landscapes the plane was passing over. The engines were roaring in a steady rhythm, telling me that the plane was going on smoothly. _I mean, after 5,000 years, everything seems so different. The plane, the ruins, the clothes..._

The ruins. A painful beat played from my heart. Isis had predicted back at the Prophecy Recitation that by the time the Pharaoh and I were resurrected, Ancient Egypt would be physically lost. All the advances in technology and modern day tools disrupted Ancient Egypt's original settlements. I couldn't believe it was all gone. The only thing that wasn't gone was the aroma of its pre-existence. That will never leave. Ancient Egypt was too strong and so prosperous back then to be gone without leaving a single trace of its existence. Its ancient aura still filled the sands and atmosphere, creating a new sense. It was stimulating.

And it was in my heart. Ancient Egypt—my home—will never leave me. I will always cherish it.

* * *

Night fell during the flight to Domino City. Half the travel was over and by morning, I would have reached Japan. I wrapped myself in the comfortable and fuzzy individual blankets the flight attendants handed out when the night first began and stared out the window through half-lidded eyes. I was beginning to feel a little tired and the night sky was a lullaby tempting me to go to sleep. I pulled the warm blanket farther up to cover my neck and the Millennium Locket, which was cold against my skin. As my half tired mind slowly drifted into sleep, I started thinking about the time when the Millennium Locket was first clasped around my neck; a few good years before the Prophecy.

Back when my family was still with me.

On the day I was born, my mother had given me the locket as a way to congratulate me coming into this world. Distinctly, and sometimes thinking if I actually did remember, I remembered my brother looking over my mother's shoulders to see the new born baby. Of course, I was looking up at them, and I also remember feeling so small and delicate. My father sat beside my mother and the whole family was gazing down at me with loving eyes. I saw a gold chain around everyone's necks.

I didn't know why that was then, but as I began to get older, I realized that it was a way to make it seem like we were all connected. Though we were by heart, it was simply a great way to show it physically. We each wore a different necklace, but in a way, they were similar still.

My necklace wasn't always the Millennium Locket. In fact, it only had a sliver of the same dark magic as the other Millennium Items. The locket was given its design in order to keep it differed from other jewelry—and because it held all my magical power. It was like a magical staff only in a necklace form. It was a way to show my position of Guardian.

Now, with the Locket grasped between my fingers, I imagined my once happy family, their eyes once filled with happiness. My eyes began to close, and soon, I was drowned in the visions of my late family. Oh, how I missed them...

* * *

I had awoken hours later when it was finally morning and right when the plane was beginning its landing procedure. It was pretty amazing how far humans have gotten in technology, I'd have to admit, and it was much faster than walking on land and riding on boats. The wheels screeched under the massive body of mechanics as they hit pavement, running down the runway, lowering speed. As the plane finally came to a stop, the passengers got up.

With the large duffel bag slung over my shoulder I made it through Customs and onto the road outside the airport. The air was comfortingly cool and the sun was shining happily in a bright blue backdrop. Japan looked unreal. Business and corporations buildings towered above streets. Vivid green trees grew beside the sidewalk, welcoming everyone to city. People were going about their business; walking into the airport to go to another destination, going to work, enjoying the park displayed right in front of the airport, or simply hanging about welcoming the warm sunlight on their skin. It made my heart soar to see such high-spirits, like all the problems of the world were lifted off from everyone's shoulders, and all they cared about was each other and enjoying the time together.

My heartbeat suddenly slowed. It was a whole different scenario for me. It was like all the problems of the world were dumped onto my shoulders so no one else would have to worry anymore. I had a Pharaoh to find, and help him defeat the evil that's supposedly coming back.

It was troubling, to have the thought of not being able to live free like them, but be given a task as great as this. Oh well... I suppose it truly is Fate.

I have no regrets, anyway. And it was a great way to live life.

...serving a Pharaoh... Hm...

A taxi's horn rung through my ears and I was snapped out of my reverie. In no time at all, I was being driven to my apartment, most likely something Ishizu did to help me out once more.

Through the window, I saw peaceful streets pass by, and soon, I was stopped at a white building that was a one story house. I put away the papers with the instructions on how to get to my new home back into my duffel and paid the driver for my ride here with the amount of bills Ishizu had also packed. I waved the driver off and started up the driveway, standing before the door to the apartment complex.

After rummaging around the bag for a few minutes, trying to find a key, I unlocked the door and walked into the hall, immediately jumping at the automatic lights being turned on. I think it had something to do with a motion detector. When it sensed movement, the lights would turn on for convenience. I liked this system.

I entered into the bedroom, placing the black duffel onto the queen sized bed, and took a curious look around.

The walls to the whole apartment were creamy white. When I had first walked in through the door, the colour was comforting for my eyes. The bedroom furniture was all dark wood. A dresser with five drawers sat at one wall, two bedside tables sat on either side of the bed, and a walk-in closet was built into the opposite wall. The bed sheets and comforter were a beautiful deep red colour and the carpet was an off-white.

That was only the bedroom. The living room consisted of a lounge and loveseat, made of a comfy black leather material. The kitchen's counters were dark marble and the cabinets were also dark wood, with everyday appliances already built in.

A faint memory tugged at the back of my mind when I looked at the stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator. It was weird how I knew their names. What was even weirder was that I wasn't panicking about how they would work. The memory nagging my mind... if I should call it a memory or thought, told me I knew how everything worked.

I frowned curiously, returning to the bedroom, and laying down on the soft comforter to stare up at the ceiling. _That's strange... _I thought. _I've just been reborn and yet... I get the feeling I know all this modern technology..._

...No... It must be from the flight. I was simply a little tired from the travelling, that was all.

With my mind now clear and ready to think, I searched through the duffel bag for the papers Ishizu had kindly written everything down on.

"Now then... Ishizu has said that this "Yugi Mutou" goes to Domino High School," I said aloud to myself, simply to cut the silence I alone was creating. I fingered through the many cream coloured sheets until I got to one that said "Yugi Mutou" on it.

Odd... Now I could read English. Now that I thought about it, I could speak and understand it too. It must have something to do with the rebirth spell.

I scanned the document in my hands until I found what I was looking for. Under the heading "Education", I saw the school name and address. On a different sheet was a map on which I pinpointed the location of the apartment I was at right now and the school. It turned out that they were close by each other.

So was Yugi's house.

"Hm... That's certainly not a coincidence," I said, giving the sheet of paper a thoughtful smile. Yugi's house was only a street away. Ishizu had purposely given me this apartment so I could be close to the Pharaoh's host. She really _has_ thought of everything.

I decided to go register at the school, that way, I could be with Yugi during his school hours. Stuffing the papers into my pocket, I walked out the front door and back onto the streets, remembering to lock the door behind me. I headed into the direction of the school.

* * *

The school was impressive, ranging from height and length. Its walls were smoothly plastered and there was a cherry blossom tree growing near the front door. The parking lot held only a few cars and, over all, the school looked deserted. Maybe lessons and classes were over and all the students were headed home. I hoped the teachers and staff were still here though, because I needed to register as soon as I could. I ran to the front door, letting the sun's beautiful rays cast my short shadow everywhere I went.

I opened the double doors and was met with an equally bright inside. Everything was like spring; bright, sunny, and cheerful. It was fascinating.

In the main office, I managed to seek out, I met a kind, middle-aged woman behind a desk. She was writing on some documents when I walked in. Her eyes, as they looked up from her paperwork to me, were warm and welcoming. Her business suit looked official.

"Hello," she welcomed kindly. "How may I help you?"

I gave her a smile in return. "Hello there. Er, I was wondering if I might be able to register at this school."

The woman smiled and looked through some more of her papers. "Well, certainly!" she said, pulling out a package of papers from a drawer. She displayed them onto the counter. "These are all the forms you need to fill out. When you've finished, just give them back to me, alright?"

I nodded and took the package of papers into my hands, gratefully. "Thank you," I said with a bow.

"What is your name dear? I must add it into the files for the school."

I pondered the question. My modern name came out of my mouth like I had no problem at all saying it. "Sarah Wind," I said, and watched the woman write on another piece of paper.

"Sarah... Wind..." she said, as she wrote it down. "Now, I can not do anything more until you bring me back those papers. Once you do, I'll give you your uniform and class schedule."

I smiled once again and bowed one more time. "Right. I understand. I will bring them in as soon as I can. Thank you very much," I said, before walking out. She returned my smile before turning her attention back to her previous work.

I walked back outside and into the comforting warmth of the sun. My footsteps were quiet as they padded along the concrete pathway. I was surprised they didn't even make an echo. The school grounds were quiet enough. But then again, the shoes I was wearing were sneakers, so they shouldn't even be made to make sound. My mind wasn't occupied on any sounds; I was too busy intently reading the pages the woman had given me.

But, even the pages hadn't averted my mind completely. Suddenly, I heard something rolling along the pavement. It sounded like small heavy balls coming closer and closer. Then I heard shouts of some sort, but I didn't have any time to make them out.

Because at that moment, right when I was going to look up to see what it was, someone crashed into me, sailing the both of us to the ground. I fell on my back with a hard thump and felt the papers I was holding rip out of my hands and fall a few feet away. Thankfully, my head was alright. Only my back was sore from impact.

"Now look what you've done, Joey!" someone cried in exasperation a few paces away. There were hurried footsteps following the voice. "You've crashed! Oh my god—and into someone else too! Are you okay?"

The person who knocked into me was a boy. He had blonde hair and was handsome and tall. He was wearing a blue uniform and his honey coloured eyes were hazy for a moment, until he realized what just happened. He sat up and looked in my direction, his eyes now holding a sense of concern.

"Good lord!" he cried, shooting up to his feet and immediately helping me up to mine. "I'm so sorry! I-I didn't see you there!"

Another male with brunette hair in a pointy style bent down to pick up a bright green board with four wheels attached to one side. A skateboard. He was wearing the same clothes as the blonde and his eye colour was a warm brown. "Of course you didn't see her," he scoffed. "You were too busy riding your board. You should have been careful, man."

Subconsciously, I held my head, both confused and trying to find any bumps; just in case. "Oh no," I said, waving my other hand around dismissively. "It was only an accident. It's alright."

The blonde heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god you're okay!" he exclaimed with a grin. "I would've felt awful if I hurt a pedestrian. I should work on my driving..."

"That's right, you should," said a girl with short brown hair, ready to whack the blonde across the head if need be. Though she was scolding her friend for being so clumsy, her bright blue eyes held compassion. She seemed nice already. Her uniform was a pink blouse with a blue skirt. A bright blue bow was on her collar. She turned to me, her expression softening dramatically "Are you sure you're alright? That was a pretty hard hit."

"Yeah, do you need to go to a doctor?"

The new voice... It was kind and almost melodic in a way. I turned to the person it belonged to and almost felt my heart drop.

He had shining amethyst eyes. He was wearing the same uniform as the other two boys. And he was a little shorter than all three of them. All that didn't intrigue me though. It was something completely different.

He looked like the Pharaoh, say for his caring violet eyes instead of the intense crimson ones I was so used to.

And around his neck was the Millennium Puzzle, its beautiful golden surface still shining as it did 5,000 years ago.

How could this be? Was it even possible?

But there was the evidence. Standing before me. He had the same unique hairstyle as the Pharaoh, say for some of the golden bangs he had detailing his. Though he was shorter, he still held the posture of a 16-year-old. His eyes weren't as narrowed as the Pharaoh's, but rounder. They held utmost kindness.

I couldn't keep gawking, though I had taken in his whole appearance in a moment. What a surprise to have _Yugi _find _me_.

"Oh, no, I don't believe so," I quickly replied, not being able to calm my fast beating heart from the sudden shock. "I don't feel hurt in anyway, just a bit rattled."

The group looked at me uncertainly.

"...Joey..." whispered the girl, before nudging him harshly in my direction.

The blonde, whom I now know as Joey, staggered a bit from his friend's notion but quickly recovered to give me a bow. "Look, I'm really sorry about that. I should have been watching where I was going."

"We'll keep a leash on him next time," said the boy brunette. A small vein throbbed on the side of the blonde's head at the comment.

I shook my head. "I said it was alright," I insisted. "No one is in any pain. It's all that matters."

The teenagers exchanged glances with one another. They sighed.

"If you say so," said the shorter version of the Pharaoh. My mind still had trouble wrapping around that fact.

"But if you feel dizzy all of a sudden, let us know. The school nurse should still be here if you need to see her," said the girl.

I smiled kindly at their concern. "Thank you, but I'm fine," I said.

Joey put his chin in his hand as he suddenly started staring at me intently. "Hey... Are you new here? I haven't see you around before."

"As a matter of fact, I just registered a few moments ago," I said. "The woman at the office desk gave me a package of forms to fill out—oh, I seemed to have dropped them."

Yugi bent down to pick up the package of forms that had landed away from the crash. He handed them to me, and at the moment I held the papers in my own hands, my Locket glowed under my shirt, radiating warmth. It was telling me the Pharaoh was definitely here.

"Thank you."

"No problem," said Yugi. Then he seemed to remember something. "Right, in the midst of the crash, no one knows who anyone is." He gave me a smile. "I'm Yugi."

Mentally, I mused. _Yes, I know, Yugi. I've been looking for you._ I returned his smile.

"It's nice to meet you."

The girl offered her hand to which I shook. "I'm Téa," she said with a warm smile and cheerful eyes. Then she motioned to the two taller boys who were equally built and cunning. "This is Tristan, and the boy who crashed into you is Joey."

Joey sweat dropped. "I said I was sorry."

I smiled. "And I said it was fine. It's very nice to meet you all. My name is Sarah Wind. I just moved into Japan this morning."

Joey blinked. "And you already registered at the school?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, yes," I admitted. "I think education is very important, therefore, it should be the first thing I should deal with." Well... It was half the truth. It wasn't necessarily a lie.

"It's true," agreed Tristan. "It _is_ pretty important. Good for you Sarah."

Téa and Joey raised a brow at Tristan skeptically who merely sweat dropped at their intense looks.

"Do you have a place to stay?" asked Yugi.

"I already had that subject taken care of before I boarded the plane," I said reassuringly. "But thank you for your concern."

Téa looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, since you're new here, why don't we be your escorts?" she said.

"Escorts?" I asked curiously.

Joey smiled. "That's a great idea, Téa!" he said. "Escorts; meaning we hang out with you, show you around, and get to know you. In turn, we become friends."

"It'll be fun," said Tristan. "What do you say?"

The four of them were awfully nice. I couldn't pass up an offer like that. Now that I've found the Pharaoh's host, I want to stay around with him as much as possible. And keep my identity in check. I couldn't go around telling anyone who I was, even though these people seemed nice. They might not even find it believable, so what would be the point?

I would have to wait out my identity. Until the time is right, that is. For now, I'm a normal teenager who just moved into Japan, and who has been invited to accompany a group of people my own age. Possibly my classmates.

Not only was the Pharaoh here within my grasp, but the group seemed really nice. Plus, I really am new, and I have no idea what I would have been doing if these guys hadn't offered.

I nodded. "I'd like that," I said with a shy smile.

"Alright!' cheered Joey. "This is going to be so cool!"

"We should all hang out at my house," said Yugi. "It's closer and grandpa will love to meet you. We'll take you there right now, Sarah. Oh, unless you have something to do."

I shook my head. "Actually, after registering at the school, I was only going to go back to my apartment. I don't have anything planned. I'm up for anything anytime."

"Then it's settled," said Téa with a bright smile. "We'll go there right now."

"Oh, but don't you have classes to attend?" I asked.

"It's after school now," said Joey. "We can go home. Classes are over after midday."

"...oh," I said lamely. "I suppose I'll have to get used to the schedule here."

"Don't worry," said Yugi with a smile. "You'll get used to Japan in no time."

* * *

**Author's Note:** WOOT! I think I like this chapter MUCH more than the old one! XD SO much more. I hope you guys agree. XD

I noticed how all my earlier chapters are incredibly fast, and there's no detail in them. I am determined to rewrite them into something that actually makes sense. ^^' Please bear with me, though, because it will take me a while. XD Thank you! ^^' And I really appreciate your patience and endurance. Thanks so much. :)

_"I've found the Pharaoh. After 5,000 years... I've finally found him. Though the entrapment was so long, it was worth the wait. Now, once we get in touch with each other, we can fight side by side once more. It'll only be a matter of time now."_


	5. Unknown Mysteries

**Latest Revision: ****25****/****12****/1****2**

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I'm back to revising another chapter! ^^ Hope you find it okay. ^^

So, so far, Sarah's found Yugi. Now, she and the gang are headed for Yugi's house so the five of them can hang out. Will it simply be a normal day with friends? Or will it turn into someone's nightmare? You'll have to read to find out.

(O_O Holy crap...I just scared myself writing that...xD *panned*) I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading! ^-^ It's longer than any of my chapters combined... o.o x'D

**Disclaimer!: **Fanfiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Chapter 4**

_I can't believe I found him. _I thought in awe, as I followed the four teenagers I literally ran into down a familiar street. I remembered walking this very street just a while before when I was on my way to Domino High for registration. My new apartment was near the end of it, and if I remember correctly, Yugi's house is somewhere in the middle. _Well... _he _actually found _me. _Either way, I'm with the Pharaoh at last. To be more specific, with both him and his host, Yugi._

_Exactly... what do I do now?_

Normally, back in Ancient Egypt, I'd be given orders on what to do. Now that I was out here all alone I didn't exactly have a clue of how to help the Pharaoh's spirit. At the Prophecy Recitation, no one said anything specific; only that I had to Guard the Pharaoh and take a steady time of helping him. After all, he had no memories of his ancient past or of who he was. But... he was trapped within the Millennium Puzzle, which was currently hanging around Yugi's neck. I would have to work with him in order to help the Pharaoh. Did Yugi even know that there was an ancient spirit within his pendant? I didn't know. He was certainly not showing me any signs that he knew.

But then again, I was just a stranger to him and his friends. Even if Yugi did know, he didn't want a complete stranger to know anything personal about him. If he didn't know, it's the same outcome; there won't be any signs to tell me that he knows. The Pharaoh might also make his presence secret for a while. A modern boy such as Yugi might not take a spirit inhabiting him well.

For now, I think I just have to follow what Yugi does and keep a close eye on him and the Puzzle. Maybe we could become friends along the way on this epic journey to solve our rebirth, and find the path of the Pharaoh's Destiny, together. I have to be next to the Pharaoh and Yugi in the meantime.

The beautiful sunny day was right above our heads and was shown all around. I kept the package of forms the school secretary gave me for my registration close to my chest. I noticed the blond headed boy—what was his name... Joey, was it?—now holding his lime green skateboard under his arm, the object to cause our encounter. Its rubber wheels were now rolling against the air, free from having to be on the pavement. I guess he didn't want a chance to run into something again. Or someone. Not after our accident.

"So, Sarah," the female brunette—Téa—began. "Where did you live before moving to Japan?"

"I lived in Egypt," I said. There was no reason for me to lie, all to hide my identity as Guardian. Some things I'll just keep secret or go around them while others, like where I lived before, will be just normal conversation. Usually one lie leads to many others just to hide that one lie, anyway. "I was actually born in Egypt, too."

"So, you're Egyptian?" asked Yugi interestedly. "You must know all about their artifacts."

"Hey, Yug'," said Joey, turning to look at his best friend with a suggestive smile. "Maybe you should ask Sarah about your Millennium Puzzle. She might know a thing or two about it."

So they know it's a Millennium Item? Would they know of its power and the spirit of the Pharaoh?

Yugi shrugged. "I'd greatly appreciate it if you could help," he said to me. His smile was shining as much as his eyes. "I want to know more about the Millennium Puzzle; it seems interesting."

Something stung deep within me, somewhere in my heart. It was the terrifying and awful truth about these 'interesting' Millennium Items. They weren't very nice, based on what they were made from...

Human souls.

The souls of humans from a village of criminals.

And yet, I was hiding one with the same Shadow Magic fused into it underneath the collar of my shirt. It wasn't exactly made completely out of human souls like all the other Items. It only had some Shadow Magic so I could sense the other Millennium Items and the Pharaoh. The carved Eye of Wdjat on the cover of the Locket is all the Shadow Magic I need, the rest is simply pure gold, hung from a golden chain around my neck. Memories of this Locket were vivid. The inside holds all of my magical ability, stored away so only I could use it.

I couldn't just tell Yugi all this. Even though the Items were made from something inexplicably evil, they gave us the power we need to stop true evil. If the Millennium Items stayed in the right hands, that deed will stay, but should they fall into the wrong hands...

The whole world could be in jeopardy.

Rather than telling Yugi all about their birth, I decided to only keep the conversation at normal instead of extreme. No one would believe me anyway. Yugi and his friends might think I was going crazy, telling them the Items were made from actual, living and breathing human souls. Just the thought sends shivers down my own spine.

For now, I answered casually, "Sure, I'd be glad to help. Speaking of which, is that really the authentic Millennium Puzzle around your neck, Yugi? I thought it looked familiar... but I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it." We could work our way up with little steps. This will take time, but soon, the Pharaoh and I will come together and destroy the evil that had come back to haunt us.

Yugi held the solid Item carefully in his hands. The gold pieces that made it up sparkled spectacularly under the sun, just as I always remembered. "According to my grandpa, it is," he said. "All the pieces that made the Puzzle were in a golden box, and it was sitting at the back of a shelf covered in dust. I decided to try and solve it, though my grandpa thought it was difficult for me. It definitely did take me a while, but it's finally complete.

"There was a riddle written on the box, which grandpa had read to me because it was written in Egyptian hieroglyphs. He said that it read, 'It's something that you can see, but have never seen before.', and that drove me to keep trying to solve it, especially when I thought about giving up at times. But, now I've finally done it, only a while ago."

I tilted my head slightly to the side, gazing at the boy curiously.

What about the wish and the mention of obtaining the power of the Shadow Games?

In order to keep the bargain fair in releasing the Shadow Magic and the spirit of the Pharaoh free, whoever solved the Millennium Puzzle would be given one wish. Anything they wanted could be theirs—and all they had to do was solve the Puzzle. It was a very complex Item and not everyone had the ability to solve it. The people who did try need to have a whole lot of commitment and determination. What could drive them was the chance to get anything they wanted at the end.

Was the mystery of the riddle the only thing driving Yugi on to complete the Puzzle?

Was it not the wish?

"So, does you grandpa know a lot about Egypt?" I asked Yugi after a moment's thought.

Yugi nodded. "Oh yeah," he said. "He's an archaeologist. Sometimes he'll go to Egypt for a dig, exhibit, or research. He comes back home with tales, stories, notes, and sometimes even souvenirs. My grandpa really likes what he does."

"Maybe the two of you can become good friends," said the other brunette—Tristan. He smiled. "He's really cool, and I'm pretty sure you'll work great together. Maybe the two of you can solve some Ancient Egyptian mysteries together!"

_Oh, believe me Tristan. I'm already in one._

"I think that would be a great concept," I agreed.

"What about your parents, Sarah?" asked Téa. "What do they do?"

A sharp jolt of pain shot through me, almost throwing me off balance. Troubled, I grabbed a fistful of my shirt, near my left shoulder. I didn't want to think of them. It hurt too much...

Thankfully, no one noticed me falter. I don't think telling them something very personal of mine would be wise. Yet... I couldn't lie to them. I would have to choose my words carefully.

"My father... is a merchant. Oh, I'm sorry. I used a very late term for it. He's a shop keeper. And my mother... she takes care of the family and the house." Why should I use past tense? If I wanted to ever give them a hint of my family being deceased, I could have just come out and said it. And I didn't want to think of it as lying. It was a sensitive subject for me. And did I really have to say 'merchant'?

"That's pretty cool," said Joey. "Where's his shop? Is it somewhere near?"

I swallowed, slightly nervously, dwelling on how to answer this difficult question. "Well... he's actually still in Egypt... My mother is too." That wasn't a lie. Their bodies are somewhere there, hiding beneath the vast Egyptian sand...

"What?" gasped Téa, almost surprising me. "Are you in Japan all on your own?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am," I replied. "It was a great opportunity for me. My parents... didn't want to leave the shop or the house, so they suggested working together from two sides. They'll support me while I do well in my studies. It's not a bad idea. And it's worked out... quite well."

_Except the part that they __were both__ dead._

"That's not a bad idea," said Joey thoughtfully, holding his chin in his hand. "You get support and all you have to do is do well in school. Plus, you get to see and experience a whole new culture. That's really cool."

Everyone blinked at Joey. I just looked at them confused, wondering why they were looking at him funny, though it was a good speculation. Joey returned the blink.

"Are you feeling okay, Joey?" asked Yugi in concern, though his round amethyst eyes held mirth in them. That was confusing.

Joey gave his friend a small glare, which was even more confusing. Were they teasing him?

Tristan came around and almost tackled Joey trying to grab his shoulders. He raised a brow at him, half expectantly and half teasingly. With a smirk, too. "What are you doing trying to act smart?" he asked, throwing his arm around Joey's shoulders. "Are you trying to impress Sarah with your supposed 'intelligence'?"

Joey went over to clobber Tristan, but the brunette ducked out of the way. Téa and Yugi shared a laugh as the blond glared daggers at his smirking friend. Though, when I looked more closely, he was blushing the slightest bit.

"Hey, I can be smart if I wanted to," Joey said defensively, raising his head defiantly. The others chuckled.

"Do you enjoy teasing each other?" I asked, amused by the group's antics.

"We do it whenever we can," said Tristan. Joey shot a daring glare at his friend from over his shoulder.

"Yeah, but somehow, I get teased the most."

I smiled, remembering how carefree I used to be, just like them. And miss those days greatly.

"You set yourself up for it, most of the time," said Téa.

"Haha, laugh it up," tried Joey with sarcasm, but ended up laughing along with his friends.

"But, I'll have to agree, Joey, it is a wonderful plan," I said. Then I frowned. "I'll have to confess, though, I will have some trouble with Japan and its culture. I'm brand new."

Yugi blinked. "Yeah, why is that?" he asked. "You said when we just met you that you had only moved into Japan this morning. Why in such a hurry to register for school when you should take a few days off to get to know your surroundings?"

I smiled mysteriously. It was a good idea, but I couldn't. I had to stick with the Prophecy. "It would have been easier, I'll have to admit. But... since it was only me, it wasn't that difficult to move in." _Added, I had to find you and the Pharaoh as quick as possible. I can't take a break after being reborn; I have a job to do._

"Japan will be easy to understand," said Tristan. "Especially when you've got us as escorts. Soon, you'll be calling this place your home!"

"And if you ever need a girl to talk to, just come see me," said Téa with a known smile.

I returned the gesture. "Thank you," I said. "You are all awfully nice to someone whom you just met."

Joey shrugged. "It's true we're strangers now," he said. "But who knows? Maybe down the road, we could become friends."

"True." I nodded. "You four are really cool, and I've only just met you as well."

The group sheepishly smiled.

The walk to Yugi's house came to a close as the shorter stopped walking at a shop. It had the word "Game" written in bold red letters above the door, from which hung an open sign. With a slightly confused blink, I looked at a poster hanging in the window. It was about an upcoming tournament—a "Duel Monsters" tournament—that was taking place this week.

Just like earlier this morning, when I was touring my new apartment and began naming everything with ease, the monsters on the poster looked oddly familiar as well.

_That is so odd. _I pondered on the thought. _Why am I able to name everything as if I've seen them before, but haven't?_

It was very confusing.

"This is my grandfather's game shop," explained Yugi, opening the door for everyone to walk in. "He sells games from all over the world. The house is attached to the back."

Once I walked in, my eyesight was flooded with all the different games on the shelves and display case counter. Board games, chance games, card games—any kind of game you can think of was in this shop. Though it was small and cozy, there was a happy and exciting sense to it. I looked around in awe. I've never seen such rare games before. I've played maybe one or two with my brother when we were young, but that's about it. And those were the simple kinds. After the disappearance of my family, I haven't had the time for games. Now, after seeing so many in one place, it reminded me of the good memories I had with my brother.

… Ra, I wish he were still here...

"So your shop and house are in one place," I said surprised. "That's neat and convenient. This is wonderful!"

Joey grinned. "Don't forget Yugi; your game shop also sells Duel Monsters cards. The best ones I might add."

Tristan smirked and I got the feeling he was about to tease the poor blond again. "Dude, all the cards are in random packaging," he said. "No matter which store Industrial Illusions sends them to, they're all random."

Joey sweat dropped by the brunette's remark.

Duel Monsters? Industrial Illusions? These must be either games or corporations depending on how Joey and Tristan talked about them. The poster on the window looked oddly familiar as well... Where have I seen the monsters before? And will I have to get used to these modern day terms?

"Am I hallucinating, or are there voices coming from downstairs?" a man's voice suddenly sounded from another room. From around the corner of the archway at the back of the store appeared an aged man. His hair was grey but it looked like Yugi's style put into a bandanna. His deep amethyst eyes were warm and kind. He wore a white work shirt under green overalls. The smile on his face was inviting, and I could sense a strong connection between him and Yugi.

"Yep!" jumped Joey. "We're here to party! Let's start."

The man's gaze shifted over to me and he blinked in surprise. "I think you've invited another guest to the list, Joseph," he said, causing the blond to start grinning sheepishly. Then he smiled caringly at me. "Who do we have here? A new friend?"

Yugi smiled. "Well... we're getting there," he said. "Grandpa, this is Sarah. She just moved into Japan this morning. Sarah, this is my grandpa."

We shook hands and smiled. "Only this morning?" asked Mr. Mutou, surprised. "You've already run into her?"

"Literally, too," said Téa, motioning over to Joey. He merely turned around from the display case he was looking through to glare curiously at the girl, wondering what she was trying to imply.

Mr. Mutou sighed. "Was it the skateboard?" he asked, already expecting the answer to be what he thought it was.

Tristan blinked. "You know?"

"You can tell nowadays."

Joey anime fell. "Am I really that predictable?" he cried to no one in particular. Everyone laughed kindheartedly. I merely smiled.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Sarah," Mr. Mutou said with a smile.

I nodded. "It's very nice to meet you, too," I said, returning the gesture. "From being in a new country for only a few hours, I already feel so welcome."

"Why don't you stay for a little while?" he asked. "You can have a break from the move. Oh, but I hope your parents won't mind."

"They're still in Egypt," I said. "I came to Japan on my own."

"Oh, you're from Egypt, are you?" asked Mr. Mutou, curiously. "Well, if you do decide to stay, you can tell us all about yourself with ease."

I smiled, truly touched by the group's kindness. I had thought coming into a country I've never known anything about will give me some difficulty, but now that I've found the Pharaoh and his vessel, it seems like the path Destiny has made for us, whatever it may be, will be easier than I've thought.

"I'd love to stay," I said, smiling. "Thank you."

* * *

Mr. Mutou had me seated on one of the lounges in the living room. It was very spacious and comfy, with three lounges circling a coffee table. A television set was placed on the other side. I was still intrigued as to why I can name all the modern technologies. I'm 5,000 years, basically, into the future. Maybe Master Mahad cast a spell to help me in this new age. Isis could have foreseen the changes.

The others followed suit and seated themselves as well. Téa was beside me while the Mutou's were on the couch perpendicular to ours. Joey and Tristan were on the one parallel to us. A tray of water filled glasses was on the dark wooded coffee table.

"So, you are new to Japan, Sarah?" asked Mr. Mutou.

I finished sipping my water and held the glass carefully in my lap. "Yes, I am," I replied. "I've only heard of it. When I arrived this morning, I never expected to have met anyone this quickly."

Mr. Mutou smiled warmly. "I hope this lot didn't cause any trouble," he mused. Everyone sweat dropped. "Usually they are a ruckus of a bunch, but they mean well."

I smiled. "They've treated me well," I said reassuringly. "I appreciate the warm welcome very much. At first, I had trouble thinking of a way to get around and become familiar with the surroundings. But then, I met Yugi, Téa, Joey, and Tristan at the school, and I feel as though I've been in Japan since birth."

"And they brought you here safe and sound?" asked Mr. Mutou incredulously. I can understand why he was teasing everyone. It was just what parents did. The group seemed nice, and I knew they were, but so did Mr. Mutou. To be casual and inviting, he was simply finding a way to be welcome.

Everyone other than the two of us anime fell. Of course they knew they were being teased as well. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been acting all sheepish.

"Yes, they did," I said with another smile. "They've been really nice."

"Aw, it was nothing," said Joey with a wave of his hand. "We're glad we can help. We seem to have a knack for that."

"If you ever want help or friends at anytime, just come visit us here at the Game Shop or talk to us at school," said Yugi. He smiled, his round amethyst eyes shone with a seemingly infinite amount of care. "We'd be glad to be your friends. You seem really cool."

I smiled, touched by their care. I was never expecting anyone to welcome me as these people did. I was new after all, and I was only just reborn yesterday. "Thank you so much," I said. And I really meant it. Yugi and his friends are really nice and caring. Everyone must have known that I meant my thanks, because they smiled back.

"Now," said Mr. Mutou casually. "About you being from Egypt... Do you, by any chance, know anything about the Millennium Puzzle? All Yugi and I know for certain is that it originates from Ancient Egypt."

This part should be troubling. On one hand, I could tell them everything; absolutely _everything_, and that should leave them either in shock, disbelief, or both. On the other hand, I could be careful with my words and not freak them out. Whatever didn't seem logical or totally out of whack, it was natural for people think that it was crazy. So, if I told them everything, they might think I need to belong in a mental institute. But if I be very careful, and not go into any details, they might consider it, but will want hard evidence for the thought to be true.

All I have to do is make it seem like a thought. That way, they'll know about it, but not think I'm crazy.

"Well... If I remember correctly from legends," I said, closing my eyes to make it seem like I was trying my hardest to remember something. Saying they were legends is not a lie. Technically, it _was_ a legend; but it was one that was true. A second later, I reopened my eyes, my scarlet orbs glimmering almost mysteriously as I recalled ancient words from the Recitation.

"I remember a riddle that was supposed to be on the Millennium Box that is said to contain the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle; just like you said earlier, Yugi."

Yugi's interested amethyst eyes shimmered conclusively. "I knew it," he said. "It _is_ called the Millennium Box and the riddle is true. Grandpa, you were right!"

I nodded. "Exactly," I continued. "The Millennium Puzzle is indeed from Ancient Egypt. It's one of many treasures formed from their time. According to the legends, once someone puts the Millennium Puzzle together, the one responsible will gain ancient powers and knowledge of the Shadow Games."

All eyes turned to Yugi, who was curiously tapping the side of his chin; thoughtfully too. "I don't feel any different," he said after a while.

I let go of the breath I was holding in disappointment. Maybe the Pharaoh is indeed making his presence unknown. For now, I hope. We need to know that we were both in this so we could start with the Prophecy—and why we've been reborn. I'll have to be patient, though, in the meantime.

Mr. Mutou held his chin in hand. "If Yugi doesn't feel any different from before he solved the Millennium Puzzle, then that can only mean that it was only a legend."

I shrugged. "It might have been," I agreed, though my heart told me to say that it wasn't. My mind might be telling me to tell everyone that it was false, just so I didn't cause an unbalance in their normal lives—so soon anyway. But my heart... oh, but my heart wants me to yell the truth! That way, the Pharaoh and I could start with the Prophecy. We need to defeat the evil that was going to come back. Hopefully, Yugi will believe the Shadow Game power to be true. And soon. Otherwise, too much time without focus could give the enemy a lead into the battle that the Pharaoh didn't even know had started.

All because he had his memories erased.

That was something else that concerned me. The ancient Pharaoh was in the modern world without any knowledge of even who he was. He wouldn't know his name, who he was, and what he was doing here. He could be lost on how to go on with things in his predicament. And his mind must hold a tonne of questions.

Soon... Soon, Yugi will understand that there was definitely someone else inside him; another mind and soul. And then, we would be able to fight again; together.

"Is that all you know?" asked Mr. Mutou.

"The Millennium Puzzle is a hard subject to wrap your mind around," I said. "There could be mystery after mystery and we only know a fraction of the actual truth."

"Ancient artifacts seem to do that often," commented Téa. "There's more to them than meets the eye."

"I wonder if they can really have ancient powers in them," said Tristan, eyeing the Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck suspiciously. "For real, I mean, like Sarah said, Yugi's Puzzle would have. If there really is magic in it, wouldn't that be so cool?"

...the irony in this group is incredible.

"Ah, well, that's another question," said grandpa, now standing up from his seat with a stretch. He took the tray of empty glasses into his hands. "Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your knowledge with us. It's helped us gain some more questions to solve."

"I'm glad I could help in one way or another," I said with a smile. "It's the least I can do after how much you've helped me."

"Don't be a stranger," said the kind man as he started his way back into the kitchen. "Stay for as long as you like. Yugi's friends always do too, so you are no excuse."

"Thank you so much."

With a nod, he disappeared into the kitchen. My heart could not stop fluttering with warmth. Everyone in this house has helped me so much already, and they didn't even know it.

"Alright! So, what do you guys want to do now?" asked Yugi.

Joey's eyes lit up. "Hey, why don't we watch the tournament?" he suggested, looking really excited. "The finals are supposed to be on."

Tristan looked at the clock hanging on the wall near the archway. He had his hands on his head in shock in an instant. "Oh man! There's only five minutes left until it starts!"

As the boys try to hastily put together the television to the proper channel broadcasting the tournament, Téa and I watched them with amused smiles.

The five minutes that were left until the game were up, just as the three boys found the right channel. With excited grins, they took a seat on one couch, as if they were ready to watch the Super Bowl.

I shook my head, momentarily confused. _Where did that comparison come from? It's just like the time I first looked around my apartment. Familiar knowledge is in my brain, ready to be used for modern time..._

_Why don't I remember how I got this knowledge though? Had Master Mahad really done a spell to help me? But, why can't I remember it?_

It was so confusing. And so curious.

I've only just been reborn and I've already hit a road block.

I just hope I could figure this out in time. I need to be problem free in order to serve the Pharaoh with my best.

A picture flew onto the television screen of an announcer. He held a microphone in his hand. His dark hair was neatly cut and his dark suit was nicely pressed. With a smile on his face, he announced the beginning of the finals.

"Welcome to the live streaming of the Regional Championships!" he said, holding the microphone up to his mouth. The crowd sitting on the bleachers behind him roared and cheered in excitement, ready for the tournament to start. "The finals are finally here! Let's get started!"

See? I know what's going on... All the modern technologies are coming at me smoothly and not with the confusion I thought I would get from them. Instead, I got the confusion on how I actually _know_ about the technology.

Two stands, one red and the other blue, unfolded themselves from within the walls on each side of the room in which the finals were taking place. It was as big as a football field, I might add. (The words naturally come to me...) There were two boys standing on the stands with a deck of cards set onto a mat in front of them. I watched on curiously, wondering what kind of tournament this would be, and wondering what the cards were for.

The screen showed a short boy with oddly cut blue hair and round yellow glasses. He wore a long green coat over his clothes and the smirk on his face was sneaky, as though he were challenging everyone. "Introducing Weevil Underwood! The Bug Brawler!" cried the announcer with a great flourish of his arm in the boy's direction. The crowd cheered.

Another picture came onto screen, but this time, it showed the other boy. This one had brown hair at the back and purple bangs—all covered by a red cap. His clothes were casual, like his own smirk. The announcer then gestured to him with another great sweep of his arm. "And Rex Raptor! The Dino Duelist! Alright, duelists! Ready your decks. Shuffle them. And let's begin! Who will take the championship? The suspense in this room is nearly killing me!" Everyone looked about ready for the duel to start. I bet it would be suspenseful.

"It should have been me out there dueling!" cried Joey in exasperation.

Téa's expression softened. "I know that you've been training for weeks," she said. "but these guys are in another league. You're just not ready"

"Even if you didn't make it into the tournament, grandpa's training has made you a much stronger duelist than before," commented Yugi encouragingly. "And he's proud of you too." His friend's words raised Joey's hopes.

"Yugi's right," added Tristan. "You even know what a trap card is now."

Joey shot a playful glare at the brunette while everyone shared a kind hearted laugh at the blond's attempt to be annoyed.

"You see that, Sarah?" anime cried Joey, finding no way out of the 'torture' but was really teasing. Thank goodness he knew it was only teasing, otherwise, that would just be bad. "I'm hurt you guys. Really. How can you show the new girl what you do to me?"

Yugi closed one of his eyes at me, while the other one shimmered knowingly. "You can join in with us, Sarah, if you want to," he said, missing the shocked expression his blonde headed friend was giving him. Téa and Tristan merely smiled. "It'll help bring us closer to being friends."

Friends... Ah, the term I haven't heard in a long while.

I shrugged, finding the idea a good one. If I could become friends with someone, especially if it was with this exciting group of people, then I wouldn't have to go through the Prophecy alone. But then again... I didn't want to mess up their already normal lives with the Pharaoh's and my troubled ones. So, it was best to see where Destiny would take this rather then try and predict what would happen.

"I'm not much of a teasing person," I admitted, solely for the purpose of not wanting to, and because it seemed too informal with people I have just met. "But you three can go for it all you want. Sorry, Joey."

The blonde merely grinned. "It doesn't matter," he said with a wave of his hand. "It's all good. No, Tristan. Do NOT dump ice down my back the next time I turn around."

Tristan snapped his fingers in defeat. "Damn... I thought I would have you cornered."

The group shared a kind hearted laugh. I merely smiled at them.

Just then, Mr. Mutou appeared from the kitchen holding a large white box. His face held question as he brought it in. We looked up. "Yugi, there was a package in the mail for you," he said, coming around the lounge called boy was sitting on. Yugi looked at his grandfather in question.

"Oh?" he said carefully, taking the box his grandfather gave him. He sat it carefully into his lap and looked at the return address at the top. His round amethyst eyes suddenly widened as he read it.

"No way—it's from Industrial Illusions!"

"Industrial Illusions?" exclaimed Joey. Everyone else looked surprised as well. There was that term again... What could it mean? "That's the company that makes the Duel Monsters cards! What could they want from you, Yugi?"

Yugi's eyes narrowed in curiosity, wondering the exact same thing. "I don't know," he said. "Could they have somehow heard about me beating the World Champion? It wasn't an official match, but Kaiba did drop out of the tournament because of it."

Joey held his hand to his head, as if in pain. "Just hearing Kaiba's name gives me a headache," he sighed.

Suddenly, Tristan's voice brought everyone out of their thoughts. "Hey! Rex just stomped Weevil!" he cried, bringing everyone's attention back to the duel.

"Yugi, are these guys any good?" asked Joey, making some room on the couch beside him for Mr. Mutou.

Yugi nodded, his eyes still narrowed from wondering about the package still in his lap. "Oh yeah," he answered. "They're both really tough duelists. Weevil specializes in insect cards, and he's a great strategist. While Rex uses his dinosaurs' power to overwhelm his opponents."

Joey smirked. "Itsy bitsy bugs against giant dinosaurs? Raptor's got this one in the bag."

"Don't be so sure..."

I watched Yugi carefully. He seemed to be an expert on these sorts of things. He was a smart boy and incredibly kind too. His friends and grandpa are no different. All of them seem like a special bunch. Fate has chosen a good person to solve the Millennium Puzzle.

But... someone like Yugi shouldn't be given such a burden at the same time...

Fate has her reasons. I just hope Yugi and his friends and family stay safe.

Though by solving the Millennium Puzzle, anything could happen.

The two 'duelists' on the television screen drew some cards from their decks and began their 'duel'... whatever the tournament was about. Was it a game people use cards with? Was it what the poster in the Game Shop was showing? Could this be 'Duel Monsters'?

The cards' backs in the duelists' hands looked the same as the ones shown on the poster. I didn't know about the monster... but the cards looked the same. By the way... I know for sure now that I've seen those monsters before...

Weevil and Rex had a good duel going on. They took turns playing their cards. So, first it was Rex's turn. He played a card face up in a vertical position onto the mat he was standing behind. There was an illustration taking up three quarters of the card while the fourth quarter had points of some sort written on it—they looked like attack and defence points. On the arena the duelists' stands were floating over, holographic projectors glowed and shimmered, making the illustration on the card come to life.

That was amazing! The world's technology has definitely grown. This way of dueling with a card game is far more complex than anything Ancient Egypt has seen before. And we were pretty high in standard. Summoning monsters through technology such as this is intense and exciting—

Suddenly...

...something just clicked.

It was like one of those moments when you're thinking of nothing in particular and you begin to remember something important that you were supposed to do. The thought comes back with such abruptness that it sometimes leaves the brain unstable.

In this case, it was something I had forgotten.

In the sudden realization, my heart skipped a beat and I felt my eyes widen. My body stilled, as if holding its breath in the sharp awareness as well. I couldn't tell what I felt. It was along the shocked and surprised line.

I _had_ seen those monsters on the poster before.

I've seen Duel Monsters before, but in another time and shape...

...Shadow Games...

Duel Monsters... was the modern day version of the Shadow Games.

_It makes sense._ I sighed in awe, mentally. _I was wondering why the monsters on the shop's poster looked so oddly familiar. Those monsters were used in Shadow Duels back in Ancient Egypt!_

Back in Ancient Egypt, when Shadow Duels were played with Shadow Magic, opponents would summon monsters from the Shadow Realm to fight each other. Shadow Duels were played so people could earn something from it or possibly gain power. Whatever waged—whether it would be money, rank, or power—would go to the winner. The winner was determined by the monster still standing after the fight—and if the person who controlled it was still standing upright as well. The loser of the duel would suffer loss and consequences, depending on what they were.

Duel Monsters looked like a game; harmless because there are only cards and holograms included. While in ancient times, real monsters had to be summoned from the Shadow Realm. And they were definitely not harmless.

Usually, I'm very quick in figuring things out. It might have something to do with me awaking after 5,000 years, that I didn't figure this out as quick, because I would have connected the monsters on the poster with the monsters used in the Shadow Duels the moment I saw the poster. My brain must have been foggy still. I'm glad I found this out now and not not at all, because it couldn't have been a coincidence. A modern day game played just like the Shadow Duels from back in the day? Even the monsters are the same? No way. That is definitely not a coincidence.

I remember sitting in the palace library when I was training for my Guardianship back in Ancient Egypt. It was there Master Mahad had taught me everything about the Millennium Items and their powers. That was how people summoned monsters from the Shadow Realm. Master Mahad had also told me to memorize every monster known recorded. There were so many of them, the most I could learn about were the top powerful monsters, commonly summoned monsters, and the monsters the Pharaoh's Court summoned. That's how I recognized the Black Luster Soldier and Curse of Dragon on the poster; they were two of the many monsters I learned about.

But the question now was... why? Why would there be a modern day version of the Shadow Duels? Would they intertwine with our rebirth? It looked like just a harmless game, but who knew? We thought the Shadow Duels would be a great way to settle scores or prove something... but the moment they got out of control... we knew better.

I hope Duel Monsters stayed as a normal game. It would be horrible if it turned out to be exactly like the Shadow Duels; opponents dueling for high and dangerous stakes.

But what was bothering me now was the lack of knowledge I had of Duel Monsters. I was pretty sure that I need to know more about it in order to be careful, in case it really does intervene with the Pharaoh's rebirth and mine.

I would have to learn about it... and fast, before it really does turn into something like the Shadow Games itself.

I was ripped out of my thoughts by the crowd's cheering coming from the television. Apparently Weevil won.

"And the winner of the Regional Championship is Weevil Underwood!" cried the announcer, raising his arm grandly to gesture at the blue haired duelist. He was smiling gleefully—or was it a smirk? I couldn't tell. Either way, he was thrilled he won. With his deck in hand, he raised his arm as if he was holding a trophy. Celebration was all about. Rex Raptor retreated off the field in defeat.

From a trap door in the floor emerged a tall man dressed in an elegant red suit. He had long silver hair which covered half his face and a straight composure, like a businessman's. In his hand was a golden trophy, which he presented to a now awed Weevil, stunned by his presence.

"Here to present the champion's trophy himself is Maximillion Pegasus!" said the announcer with another grand flourish. "The CEO of Industrial Illusions and creator or Duel Monsters himself!"

The crowd began to cheer even more. Everyone around me looked as surprised as I did. But for different reasons.

"This is so cool!" commented Tristan in awe, along with everyone else. "I can't believe we're seeing the creator of Duel Monsters live!"

_So, he's the one__..._ I thought idly. _He's the one to create the modern day version of the Shadow Games? We might cross paths in our rebirth with him. If Duel Monsters does, then he will too._

For a brief moment, his brown eyes flickered to the camera, before he announced his invitation to Weevil. He wanted him in the tournament he's hosting at Duelist Kingdom.

But something else had thrown me off entirely, hence me being shocked at something different than the rest of the gang. The one moment that man looked into the camera, my Millennium Locket glowed warmly against my skin. I was so confused.

No... it couldn't be...

My Locket... sensed another Millennium Item...

If Maximillion Pegasus has a Millennium Item, then our paths _will_ cross.

But who knew when?

Or how?

Did he really have a Millennium Item or was my mind playing tricks on me?

"Wow, Weevil really did beat Rex," said Joey, surprised. He'd been expecting Rex's powerful dinosaurs to squish Weevil's small insects to a pulp. He'd been proven wrong that strength wasn't all that mattered.

"He's a good strategist," Yugi repeated informatively from before. "That's why he won."

Téa turned to me. "Do you play Duel Monsters, Sarah?" she asked, just as Yugi left the television on for the upcoming news program. When it was beginning its broadcast, the word "LIVE" appeared at the top left hand corner of the screen.

Tristan also joined in with the questioning. "Oh yeah! We never asked if you did!" he said.

Yugi nodded. "Do you play?"

I had no idea how to answer. Should I say yes just so there could be conversation? Or should I say no and never know anything more about the game? Nervously, I jabbed my hands into my shorts' pockets. How should I answer? Maybe I could get myself out of this if I beat around the bush. Avoid the question? I could keep up with their info but keep to myself on my own.

Swallowing, I hesitantly answered as best as I could. With the one word I managed to come up with. "Well..."

Suddenly, the news reporter on the television screen said something more interesting than my one worded answer. Her voice was urgent and almost relieved. It brought everyone's attention to it.

"Breaking news: We just received a report of the Dueling Legend's whereabouts. This is an important announcement according to the current circumstances."

"Ah, it's about time," said Mr. Mutou.

Yugi raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You know of the Dueling Legend, grandpa?"

The old man nodded. "Before today, no one had any idea of where she was," he said. "They've looked everywhere, but there was no luck. Now, it looks like they've finally found her. Poor child... that was a horrible accident to walk away from."

"Who is she?" asked Téa curiously. The rest of the group waited for an answer as well, just as curious. Other than Mr. Mutou. No one knew who the Dueling Legend was. For me, though, somehow, the name "Dueling Legend" sent a shiver down my spine.

Have I... heard that name before?

"Listen closely to the report, kids," was Mr. Mutou's answer. "It holds the answers." Everyone complied, and with a steady breath, so did I.

The lady continued. "As you are well aware, if you have been following this alert and tragedy since the beginning, the Dueling Legend is a Duel Monsters Champion from the United States. According to reviews based on her dueling, she uses cards and strategies that have dazzled the public. She's a very strong duelist and was rated top in all of North America; second place to our World Champion, Seto Kaiba.

"Recently, she has been in a terrible accident. The arena she was dueling on malfunctioned and the explosion had knocked her down, causing a head wound. She hadn't been able to wake up from unconsciousness for a few hours. And when she finally did, doctors confirmed what the effects of the head wound were.

"She received amnesia. Doctors also confirmed that she has only forgotten everything about Duel Monsters, her title, and the accident."

Everyone's expression saddened. "That's horrible," said Téa quietly.

Joey frowned. "Yeah..." he agreed. "No one deserves to go through something like that."

"She's about to reveal who the Dueling Legend is."

The group turned to grandpa with shock filling their saddened eyes. "You don't know her true identity?" asked Yugi incredulously.

Mr. Mutou shook his head forlornly. "I only know of someone being the Dueling Legend," he said. "I missed her name and appearance every time."

With hesitant looks, the gang watched the rest of the report. They were anxious to know if she was alright now and her whereabouts. I, on the other hand, could not un-stun myself.

_That name... the Dueling Legend... sounds so incredibly familiar... but why? Why is it so? Does it mean something to me? I've only heard of it now; a few hours after being reborn. But why in the world does it seem familiar, like I've heard it __before__?_

This was so unusual.

Why would the modern world seem familiar to me? Why did the name seem familiar? Why?

This was so frustrating.

The woman continued her report. Only this time, she also showed what the Dueling Legend looked like, and what her name was.

Everyone gasped.

My heart skipped a beat. And my eyes widened.

The picture the news channel put up on the screen...

...was of _me_.

"Now, after months of watching and waiting, we have finally found her. The Dueling Legend—Sarah Wind—was seen at Cairo Airport just yesterday morning. She was on a plane bound for Japan. Anyone who sees her must not ask about her dueling or pester behind her popularity. The pressure may strengthen the amnesia.

"It's a relief to say the least, because once she was released from the hospital, she disappeared. Many had believed she returned to her home country; Egypt, for a break. Now, we think she's going to stay in Japan."

The woman disappeared off set, and the news channel switched off. Every one's eyes slowly turned towards me. They were filled with unanswered questions and shock—they mirrored my own. My heartbeat was rapid. My skin cold. I suddenly noticed just how much the news broadcast had shocked me.

A lot.

"But... that doesn't make any sense..." I found myself muttering, mostly to myself. My gaze was fixed and searching, scouring my mind. But there was nothing there. Nothing to give me an explanation.

In all my years of living, being trapped, and reborn... there was nothing connecting me to the modern world.

It didn't make any sense. I was only just reborn and already some are talking about me as thought I've been here since birth.

No sense at all.

I was so confused.

"I don't believe it..." said Mr. Mutou in shock. "The Dueling Legend was right here; beside us the whole time!"

No one knew whether to cheer for the supposed celebrity or be sympathetic because of the tragedy. What truly stood out the most was the unexpected shock and surprise. They were stunned—while I was utterly confused.

_This makes no sense whatsoever!_ I wanted to cry out in frustration. I've only just been reborn and I've already hit a huge bump on the road called a problem. This didn't make any sense.

I was in my hidden burial chamber the whole time my soul was trapped. How in the world was I in the US dueling in tournaments? I know nothing about Duel Monsters or dueling!

And yet... I think about it as if I did a million times before.

Why was everything so familiar?

_Did I have a secret life I had no idea about?_

Everyone noticed my distressed expression and their gazes softened immediately. Joey was at my side in an instant, holding my shoulder and making me look straight into his honey coloured eyes with my own confused scarlet ones. Though we just met, he was only slightly hesitant to give me some sort of comfort in this depressing moment. The blonde's dark honey eyes were just as troubled about the situation, but they also held sadness. For me.

"Hey, it's okay," he said quietly, soothingly. "I can't tell you how weird this is for all of us. To think, the Dueling Legend from the US is here. But... with no memory of her being the Dueling Legend.

"It's confusing, I can tell, but don't hurt yourself trying to figure everything out just yet."

Mr. Mutou nodded. "It is a surprise to have the Dueling Legend here, right under our own roof, and we didn't even know. But what Joey says is true; don't try to pressure yourself into remembering anything. It'll make your amnesia worse and will cause severe head aches."

I complied with a nod and, surprisingly, found my head lighter than before. I suppose thinking about it was making me even more confused. No one had talked about knowing the modern day world back in Ancient Egypt, that was why I couldn't make sense of anything, and it made my mind even more foggy.

Joey almost smiled, seeing the anxiety leave my face. "There, now doesn't that feel somewhat better?" I nodded.

"Good," said Mr. Mutou. "Now, let's take this in baby steps instead of all at once, alright?" I answered with another nod, too wrapped in my own thoughts to actually say anything. If anything, I should follow where this conversation will lead me. Since it was the only lead I've got.

Joey stood up from his knees and took a seat beside me, holding my shoulder comfortingly. It... for a second there... almost felt like _he_ was comforting me. When he was always there for me back in Ancient Egypt...

"Alright, so all we know for sure is that Sarah, the one we met at the school just this morning, is actually the dueling prodigy of the United States," Yugi started off. His round amethyst eyes showed disbelief and thought, mirroring my own and everyone else's eyes.

_How c__ould__ that be, though?_ I wanted to ask. It was confusing me so much that my head was spinning. My heartbeat seemed irregular to me because I couldn't pay attention. My mind was trying to focus on too many things all at once... I thought I'd go crazy if I didn't get some answers. The room felt a little hot to me.

And it didn't help that I was just reborn—did I mention that? I was a little sketchy from having no patience at all, at anything by the way, be it magic, combat, or mind use—in 5,000 years. I'm not on the top of my game right now. And with this new 21st century business that seems awfully familiar just added to the pressure.

I couldn't stand it this. I wanted answers. Needed them, actually, because I couldn't have problems lurking about in my brain while I'm Guardian.

Téa nodded, and like how a mother would—like my mother used to—she held my hand. I just realized that it came out of my pocket to hold the side of my head. Now it was beside my lap. In Téa's. Comfort and reassurance filled me. The brunette's kind ocean blue eyes almost said, "Us girls need to stick together.". I felt almost safe. Téa's eyes were like Isis's and Ishizu's.

"That's a part of it," she said to Yugi. "She was in a dueling accident and forgot everything about her connection with Duel Monsters."

At her words, every one's faces fell. They looked like village folk who've just been told the water will come tomorrow and not today. This was a different group of people. They've been saddened by my supposed tragedy and want to help. They truly were a nice bunch. And despite the circumstances and risks... I was thinking of it.

I wondered just _how_ the Dueling Legend had anything to do with my rebirth. Did Destiny put it in for a reason? Or was it all a misunderstanding? But, the woman on the broadcast had showed _my_ picture and said _my _name. It wasn't someone else. It was definitely me.

But... why?

"I wonder... how the accident happened..." I said, idly, feeling my head just start to hurt again as I searched my mind for an answer, momentarily forgetting about what Mr. Mutou and Joey had said earlier.

As if already knowing what I was going to do, the blond lightly tightened his grip on my shoulder, reminding me and causing my search off. "Don't think about it," he said with steady eyes. "Like the lady on the news and grandpa said, if you pressure your mind into thinking about what you forgot, your amnesia could get worse."

I sighed, thinking that he was right, and forced myself not to think any further. Furthermore, if I made the amnesia worse, it would be even more of a problem. I should take this in small steps, rather than all at once like I've been trying to do. Destiny always had a reason for everything. The reason for this will show itself soon.

"Alright..." I said. "I won't think about it anymore. Is that all we know?"

Tristan put his chin in hand. "Well, after the accident, you went back to Egypt. Now you're in Japan."

"You were born in Egypt," said Yugi. "That's what you told us. You must have gone to the US for an earlier education. Then you found Duel Monsters, and soon, you were a pro at it. After the arena went haywire, you went back to Egypt to have a break and visit your parents. Now, you've come into Japan for more education. It all fits."

"You've certainly pieced this together well, Yugi," I commented with a thoughtful look. "It's like you know my life more than me."

The other shook his head. "No one knows more of your life than you do," he said, kindly. "It's just a matter of trying to remember it all, but little by little. Not all at once."

Funny... that sounded like the Pharaoh's situation...

"Right now... it might as well look like a whole different life to you. But, you'll remember it soon, don't worry."

There is was again. That thought about a second life.

Could it really explain everything? As Yugi said, my locations fit together. And it really did seem like a second life to me; it was so foreign and weird.

"Well, for now, my whereabouts make sense with each other," I said. "But, what about the dueling? And Duel Monsters? Will I forget about them forever?"

"I suppose it all depends," said Mr. Mutou, carefully. "If you're not careful and decide to force your mind into remembering your past, chances are that you _will_ forget your lost memories forever. But... if you take care of yourself properly and not pressure your mind, then there's a better chance that you will gain your memories back in no time."

"Just think," started Tristan, encouragingly. "You'll have knowledge about your life in Duel Monsters back in no time."

So we are connected.

Knowledge of Duel Monsters... that would be nice... since I know nothing about it.

I felt my thoughts literally stop short, like they ran down a hall at full speed, past the door they were looking for, only to stop abruptly to go through it.

They were at a door I was thinking about during the tournament duel.

The one about Shadow Games and Duel Monsters being similar.

When I said I had to learn about the modern day version of the Shadow Games; Duel Monsters.

I already had it all figured out. The rules, play, strategies, cards—everything. All before I had the 'accident'.

Was it really a second life? Like... half of my soul venturing out of Egypt to get a head start in the rebirth by gaining knowledge for me to better understand the modern world? When the 'accident' happened and I received 'amnesia', that's the reason I didn't remember half my soul going out to gather information?

It all clicked together. Like the pieces of a puzzle.

It suddenly all made sense.

I must have my own deck of cards, too. I thought quickly, looking mentally through all the contents of the duffel bag Ishizu gave me. I don't remember seeing a deck of cards though...

Suddenly... I felt it. A thin edge or two of something solid in the depths of my pockets. The hand I had left in my shorts' pocket from the beginning now had something literally in its grasp. My heart nearly stopped in excitement.

It couldn't be...

I dug my hand deeper and soon found a handful of the thin edges of thin card. I pulled them out...

...and found a deck of Duel Monster cards sitting in my hand. Their brick red and black backs shining under the lights of the living room.

Joey almost jumped beside me, spotting the rich red colour in my hand, but soon saw that they were cards. His eyes widened while I kept staring at the deck with surprised unexpectancy. And surprised irony.

"Hey, that was scary," he said with a blink. "All of a sudden you made Duel Monster cards appear. How did you do that?" Everyone else blinked as well.

"I... I just found them in my pocket," I said, staring at the cards in disbelief. Was this really my deck? If my theory of having two lives was true, then could this be the deck the modern half of my soul—"Modern Sarah" I'll call her—used before she lost her memory? The deck that made her the Dueling Legend?

Yugi looked uncertainly at me, but I could sense an idea coming. "Er... why don't you try looking over your cards?" he suggested. "You know... in case you can begin to remember something."

Mr. Mutou scowled. "Yugi, you know better. Sarah's amnesia could get worse if she forces her mind to remember about her life before."

"Oh, I didn't mean to force," said Yugi, defensively. "I meant just to look at them."

A knowing glint entered Yugi's eyes. His grandfather had understood immediately what he was trying to say. I blinked.

"Go on," encouraged Tristan with a kind smile. "Just take a look. Read what's on it, but don't think about it."

"So... I only look at them?" I asked the brunette with another blink. He nodded. "Well... alright. Here we go..."

Right when I was about to flip over the first card, a random name fled out of my mouth. I had no idea where it came from but it happened just as the card became familiarly warm under my fingertips, as if I've turned cards over a billion times before. As the card was turned over, everyone gasped, and I myself was sitting there with wide eyes.

"Dimensional Alchemist," was what I said.

It wasn't just a random name.

It was the actual name of the monster card in my hand.

This was beyond odd.

Mr. Mutou and Yugi glanced towards each other.

Joey picked up his fallen jaw and tied to produce words. "How... you were... it was flipped... I don't understand..."

Téa squeezed my hand reassuringly. I nodded and tried again. I didn't have to think at all again. The words just came out of my mouth naturally and automatically.

"Warrior of Elements."

A girl in bronze armour replaced the first card. It was indeed the Warrior of Elements.

_How can I tell which card I'm about to flip when I haven't even flipped it yet?_

"How are you doing that?" cried Tristan in awe.

I agreed. It couldn't be normal to guess precisely what the next card would be without even thinking about it at all.

I was at a loss for words. This day just kept piling on the surprises.

"I don't get it," said Téa, stating the obvious for everyone. All except for Yugi ad Mr. Mutou. Somehow, the both of them were taking this strangely. It was like they knew what was going on, but they hadn't said anything.

"Me neither," I sighed in awe, looking over the beautiful warrior card still in my hand. Though I never even saw this card before, let alone knew it existed, it was still somewhat familiar to me. I felt a thin thread tying us together. "How did I guess the cards? I mean—I don't even remember what they looked like let alone be able to guess what they were without looking..."

"You didn't guess," said Mr Mutou, his deep amethyst eyes directing themselves from Yugi to me. "You already knew."

I was even more confused. He must have noticed because he continued.

"I'm so lost... it's not even funny," said Joey with a blink.

Yugi smiled. "It's the Heart of the Cards," he said, meaningfully. "Sarah's bond with her cards is so great that even with amnesia her connection with them still stands. That's why she can tell which card is next without even looking."

Heart of the Cards... this concept seems very strong. Based on its name, does it refer to how close I keep my cards to my heart?

"Does that mean I respected my cards?" I asked, curiously, trying to figure out this concept even more. "That I believed in them?"

Mr. Mutou nodded. "That's right," he said. "You see? Your bond is so strong with them that you haven't even forgotten what the Heart of the Cards is."

I looked down at my hand which was still holding the deck of Duel Monsters cards. My actual cards. My actual deck.

"That is so fascinating..." I said with a smile, perplexed at how the theories fit together like a puzzle. It was all I could say. Its complexity was amazing. Master Mahad must have had something to do with this...

"So, does that mean that I'll be able to remember my past soon?"

Yugi smiled and nodded encouragingly. "Yup."

* * *

After getting the second life thing cleared up, we gathered around Yugi and the mysterious white box that was sitting forgotten on the floor. The concept of "Modern Sarah" was such a difficult thing to wrap my mind around... but I accepted it. It was the only logical explanation I could think of. It made the most sense. Vaguely... I remember my soul becoming lighter at one time during the 5,000 entrapment... It was probably then half my soul had gone out to discover new things, so I could be prepared for the modern world when the Pharaoh was to be reborn.

It was slightly unfortunate that Modern Sarah lost her memory, but at least her instincts have stayed with me. Whatever she's forgotten, I could easily learn again. Now, everything made sense. I was ready to continue with the Prophecy. Soon, I'll remember the bits and pieces I need to remember.

Yugi opened the box just when Joey was saying, "I wonder what Industrial Illusions sent you..."

The contents... were slightly odd.

Against the white of the box and platform they were sitting on, the items were a glove, pins in a clear box, and a videotape. The glove was a redish-purple with the fingers cut off halfway. A white ruffled sphere at the bottom bore holes in the shape of stars. The pins in the clear box weren't even pins, they were golden star shaped chips. The holes on the glove matched them. The video tape's name came naturally. The concept of Modern Sarah made even more sense now.

But, why would the company of Duel Monsters send these... almost random... objects to Yugi?

"A glove and two stars..." murmured Téa wonderingly.

Tristan blinked, just as confused as the rest of us. "Maybe there's an explanation on the video," he suggested.

Yugi brought out the tape and looked over its black, shiny surface. "Good idea," he said, slipping the video into the player hooked beside the television set. Everyone gathered around with him while I stayed behind, seated on the couch, curiously looking at my deck. The screen was black for a few moments before a picture appeared.

It was familiar.

_He_ was familiar.

The person on the video was someone we had seen just minutes ago.

Maximillion Pegasus. The man we've just seen presenting the winning trophy to Weevil, was now on the television screen, dressed in a dark coat with his long silver hair hiding half his face again. And this time, he was staring directly into the camera, wearing a mysterious smile. The one amber coloured eye we could see seemed kind... but... for some reason, it seemed so kind it was... evil.

And when I met his eyes, my Locket glowed warmly against my collar bone. The sense was troubling.

My Locket sensed another Millennium Item once again.

_How can this man possess a Millennium Item?_ I though, confused. Well... he _is_ the creator of Duel Monsters. He must have known what he was doing to remake the ancient game; Shadow Games. I shouldn't be surprised if he knew of the Millennium Items. They were both connected.

My dealings should connect with him. They _will_; I could sense it. And it was all because of his knowledge about the Shadow Games and the Millennium Items.

"Greetings, little Yugi," said the man with a slight smile. "I am Maximillion Pegasus."

"It's Pegasus!" cried Joey, surprised. "We just saw him on TV!"

"The creator of Duel Monsters sends greetings to my Yugi?" asked Mr. Mutou in awe. "This is the stuff of legend! It is an honour!"

"I've heard some very interesting things about you, Yugi," continued Pegasus with his interested smile. "Your defeat of Seto Kaiba has intrigued me so much, I've decided to investigate your dueling skills personally. I challenge you to a duel, Yugi. We will duel using a strict time limit of fifteen minutes, and when time is up, the player with the highest life points will be the winner."

Everyone was boggled. A recording of Pegasus wants to duel Yugi _now_? It was insane!

"What?" asked Joey, troubled. "How can you duel with a videotape?"

"That's crazy!" agreed Tristan.

Pegasus chuckled, as if hearing the boys' comments. "No," he said. "It's magic!"

Suddenly, everything became bone chillingly cold. The living room began to fill with dark shadows; swirling clouds of dark purple and black. Everyone, except for Yugi, froze on their spot and was pushed a metre back; their faces held surprised shock from the moment before. Yugi looked behind him in utter confusion and similar shock. I fell abruptly out of my thoughts and soon found myself darting to the empty spot next to Yugi. He just turned around to face me, but my death glare directed to Pegasus stopped all questions he had from being asked. My deck lay forgotten for the moment on the table. Pegasus simply smirked on.

This place was familiar.

So many familiarities... but this one was the worst.

"What do you think you're doing harnessing the powers of the Shadow Realm?" I seethed angrily. "It is a place of evil. What are you trying to accomplish?"

Pegasus' smirk never faltered. Instead, I actually thought it intensified. His amber eyes, the one that wasn't hiding behind his hair, was amused at my presence, yet it also knew something. "I sense another Millennium Item other than Yugi's Millennium Puzzle," he said, purposely avoiding the question. "Is that why you haven't been caught in my spell? Your own Millennium Item shielded you, didn't it?"

I felt Yugi's wide eyes stare questionably at my face, but I never removed my angry glare from Pegasus. "I managed to block in time," I stated simply. "Now, what do you want? Why is it that I can sense a Millennium Item from _you_?"

"What's going on?" demanded Yugi, worried for his friends and grandpa, yet confused on what was happening. "Where have you taken us, Pegasus?"

"We're no longer in the world we used to know," I said. "Pegasus has taken us to the Shadow Realm."

"The Shadow Realm?" asked Yugi, confused. "Does this have something to do with the Shadow Games you were talking about earlier, regarding my Puzzle?"

He needed to know something sooner or later. Though his encounter with the Shadow Realm right now hadn't set anything unbalanced, he was taking it alright. Yugi was just worried for his friends and slightly confused.

Yugi needed to know something, whether it be now or later. He was connected to the Puzzle now because he solved it. "Yes, it is," I said. "The Shadow Realm is home to monsters and dark power."

"And unless you win against me," said Pegasus with a determined smirk on his face. Who knew someone could seem so inviting and kind one second could suddenly turn evil in another second. "you won't return back to the real world."

At the mention of being returned, Yugi accepted the challenge. I didn't bother to intervene, because if Pegasus went through the trouble of taking us to the Shadow Realm, then he truly meant business. It wouldn't be easy to go back forcefully, against his powers. Our only hope of returning to our world was if Yugi won this duel.

"Then it's time to duel, Pegasus!" he cried, determination suddenly filling his eyes.

Suddenly, a bright golden light blasted out from within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, engulfing Yugi in it. His head titled back to the ceiling and an unfamiliar cry escaped his lips. Along with it all, Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs circled around the boy's kneeling figure with spirals of fast air shooting along with them. Ocean blue light, this time, shot out of the ground around him, and I witnessed Yugi change. Physically—and I bet mentally too.

For the first time, I was witnessing Yugi and the Pharaoh switch places with each other.

I was going to see the Pharaoh.

After all this time...

My Locket glowed along with the Puzzle, notifying me of the activation.

When the blue light twirled upward to the ceiling, he was back—but this time, Yugi looked completely different. Not only was he taller, leaner, and more of a confident structure, his facial features changed as well.

This new person had glowing, exotic crimson eyes rather than the averse and gentle amethyst eyes of Yugi's. His hair was the same; a unique style no one could mimic, but with a few extra features of jutting golden bangs. He was handsome, to say the least, and I knew how much courage and bravery was truly within him.

It was the spirit of the Pharaoh.

Oh my gods... I was finally seeing him after 5,000 years.

The Pharaoh had awakened from the entrapment in the Millennium Puzzle, and he was now residing within the body of a 21st century school boy, still clad in his school uniform.

I was supposed to bow—but stopped myself. He would probably think I was mad, because of his loss of memories. Instead, to still give him my respect, I bowed my head a little bit in his direction, before raising it back up to face him.

His vivid crimson eyes were right on me. My heart almost stopped.

I didn't know whether to be grateful and excited that my friend was back, or sad that he was here but with no memories of his past life.

Everything seemed to stop.

The Pharaoh's eyes still held the same assertiveness I last saw in them back in Ancient Egypt. He was as determined as ever, even if he had no memories or ideas of himself. He carried on to do what he did best. This was a happy moment for me. I've finally found him!

...but... even if I did... he wouldn't have remembered me at all...

_Should I tell him who I am?_ I asked myself, unable to unlock myself from his alluring and mysterious gaze. _...no... he simply won't remember the same. And now is not the time anyway._

But... he was searching me... as if he had seen me before...

"Let's fight him together," he said to me, his deep voice ringing beautifully through my ears. "Since you were able to block his spell, we should duel as a team."

_I've been waiting to hear your voice and see you since the moment you were trapped__,_ I wanted to say, but he wouldn't think of it the same as I was, so it was pointless. I gave him a friendly nod, letting determination set into my scarlet eyes as well.

"Alright," I said. "Let's do it together."

With a confident smile, and nod, the Pharaoh said to the silver-haired man, "Alright, Pegasus. Start the clock and make your move. You'll not only be dueling me, but Sarah as well."

I felt the familiar strength of our teamwork from Ancient Egypt course between us. Though I was the Guardian, a mere servant, and the Pharaoh was King, part of the royal family, we worked best as a team; like a shield and sword.

The Prophecy... it had finally started.

After 5,000 years of waiting.

_So the spirits of Yugi and the Pharaoh __are able__ switch back and forth with each other in Yugi's body. _I thought, amazed.

"The both of you will go against me?" acknowledged Pegasus, amused. "This'll be fun... but it would only be fair to use one deck against me. Not one for each of you against mine."

The Pharaoh and I exchanged glances. "I don't know much of my deck, since I only just realized I had one," I said to him. "We will have to use yours."

With an agreeable nod, he took out his deck from the sheath around his waist and shuffled it before placing it down on the floor in front of him. On the television screen, the camera moved a little back to show a duel mat and deck placed in front of Pegasus. He knew his persuasion would work! He was counting on the Shadow Realm to scare Yugi into dueling him! What could he want...

A timer of fifteen minutes appeared on the bottom left corner of the screen Once Pegasus started the duel and placed one card face down, it started counting down. "Are you nervous, Yugi-boy?" he asked tauntingly. "You should be. You have never faced a duelist like me before."

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Pegasus: 2000**

"You might be good, Pegasus," said the Pharaoh, narrowing his crimson eyes at the man.

"I assure you, I am."

"But I'll beat you to save my friends." He just put down a card as his first move—

—when Pegasus snickered. "You won't beat anyone with that dragon card," he said.

I watched the Pharaoh's eyes widen. "It can't be..." he said disbelievingly. "He's guessed my card!"

I looked down at the card he just played to find the Kuomori dragon face up in attack mode. It was my turn for my eyes to widen. "You're right!" I exclaimed. "But... how could he have known?"

"I told you that you've never faced a duelist like me before," said Pegasus smugly. "I know every move you'll make—before you can even make it."

"What—"

"Knowing every move you'll make gives me a distinct advantage, wouldn't you say?

"For example; I can anticipate your next play and counter it with the Dragon Capture Jar!"

"No!" How could he have known how to counter the Pharaoh's monster? It certainly could not be luck. Was it his Millennium Item? If he had the Item I was thinking about, from sensing it with my Locket, then...

… Reading minds is possible. To counter the card the Pharaoh just played... Pegasus could have read his mind.

And, it would explain why his hair is covering half his face...

Pegasus decided to reveal his trap card, which confused us even more, because it was the perfect counteract card. He held it up to the screen to show us that it was indeed the Dragon Capture Jar.

"It will draw the Kuomori Dragon from your card and imprison the beast!"

The card magically activated, sending a blast of white light from out of the screen and straight at our faces. We shielded our eyes with our arms in time. The power drew the Kuomori dragon from out of its card and straight _into_ the Dragon Capture Jar card still in Pegasus' hand.

The spirit of the Kuomori Dragon was sucked into the Dragon Capture Jar. _Literally_.

This was no ordinary duel anymore, indefinitely.

It was indeed a Shadow Game.

"Now your dragon is trapped; never to be played against me."

The Pharaoh's eyes sparked with anger of being stolen his monster.

"This is crazy," he said. "First, he reads my mind, then brings the monster on my card to life."

"I know, it _is_ insane," I whispered back, wondering about all the possibilities to how this dilemma could happen. _But that's just how the Shadow Realm works._

_It's just as I feared. You don't have your memories._

_Isis had predicted this._

"This dark dimension we're in is known as the Shadow Realm," said Pegasus, as if it would answer our problems. "A mystical place where incredible monsters can be summoned and the impossible is quite possible."

"But what you're telling me can't be true."

Pegasus smirked mysteriously. "Tell me, Yugi; Do you believe there is magic within these cards?" he asked.

The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed even more. "Don't you know? You invented this game."

"What if I told you I didn't?"

The Pharaoh looked surprised. "What... you didn't?"

Is Pegasus... telling Yugi and the Pharaoh about the origins... on purpose?

"In ancient times, the Egyptians called this the Shadow Game," said Pegasus. "Powerful Pharaohs would hold mystical duels in other dimensions. Just as we are doing now. But not with cards. They battled with real monsters and real magic. Magical forces so powerful, the Egyptians lost control of them nearly destroyed the entire world."

The Pharaoh glared purposefully at the silver-haired man. "It's a good story, Pegasus," he said. "But these monsters can't be real."

Pegasus smirked, and played another card. A colourful monster with a flute at his lips emerged onto the field, as another monster spirit. "Tell that to my Dragon Piper, as his Flute of Resurrection frees your Kuomori Dragon but puts him under my control."

The Dragon Piper began to play his flute, bringing the soul of Yugi's Kuomori Dragon from out of the Dragon Capture Jar, but indeed keeping it in Pegasus' control. The dark dragon glared hungrily at his former master.

"I have to counter attack," I heard the Pharaoh say. I watched him choose a card from his hand. He placed it down, watching the monster on the card come to life again. "Silver Fang!" The silvery wolf snarled, its yellow eyes directed towards Pegasus and his line of monsters.

But the Kuomori Dragon got to him first. It breathed in to produce a fireball and blasted it into Silver Fang, scorching the pup and dissolving him into air.

The flames barely grazed us.

**LP: Yugi: 1500/Pegasus 2000**

"Ah, the heat," I winced, feeling my arm warm up.

The Pharaoh nodded. "Is this how a Shadow Game is?" he asked.

So he believed that I did know something about this ancient power, based from the 'legends' I told everyone else. "Yes," I said. "The monsters are real and their attacks are dangerous. That's why Pegasus' Dragon Capture Jar _literally_ captured your Kuomori Dragon. And why the flames from its attack against Silver Fang hurt us too. Well... not as much as would have hurt if the fire actually touched us."

The Pharaoh's cerise eyes narrowed even further. Mystery flowed through them, like he was trying to piece together a puzzle.

Pegasus smirked, as if his little game of toying with people was so much fun. I could not believe how innocent he seemed and then how just as quickly he turned around and showed us his true nature. "Hah. As you see, Yugi-boy, the monsters are very real. And also quite dangerous," said the silver-haired man, his amber eye glinting with malice. He sure loved making nicknames.

The Pharaoh and I merely glared at him; annoyed. He has sent a message to Yugi, to supposedly witness his dueling skills himself, only to trap Yugi's friends in the Shadow Realm and duel him in a Shadow Game. I was glad my Locket blocked his power in time when it did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been here breathing and watching, but frozen in time.

Pegasus' smirk was malicious, secrecy glowing in his amber eye. "Ah, Yugi-boy, you really are quite entertaining. The way you scowl and sneer. So defiant and yet helpless. And so completely ignorant of the power of your Millennium Puzzle."

What the— what was he trying to pull? Did he know about the Pharaoh?

The Pharaoh looked just as confused about his words. "What?"

"5,000 years ago, a powerful Pharaoh locked the magic of the Shadow Games away," said Pegasus.

"What's this have to do with me?"

"The Pharaoh captured these vast magical energies in seven mystical Millennium Items," Pegasus smirked.

The Pharaoh's eyes suddenly glimmered with confusion. No doubt through all the emptiness of his mind, he was trying to remember anything about the Millennium Items, like it sounded familiar, like what I was doing a while ago.

"Seven Items? You're saying that... my Puzzle's one of them?" he asked, mystified.

"Yes," said Pegasus, as though he was trying to lure someone into a trap. "And there are mystical energies locked within it. Magic that could change your life forever if you only knew how to unleash it."

"But, why are you telling me this?"

Pegasus' smile became mysterious. "Why?" he asked, as if it were no big deal. "Simply because I need you to know. But perhaps I have said too much. And since the clock is still ticking, I propose we resume play; our little duel."

"Well... why in the world would you need him to know?" I asked suspiciously. "Are you trying to plan something out of the Millennium Items?"

Pegasus glared accusingly at me. "What has this got to do with you?" he asked.

I put up my guard and mental barriers. Suddenly, I felt this enormous pressure in my mind—like someone was trying to get inside. "I just have some knowledge of the Millennium Items," I said with a slight shrug.

A second passed of glower between me and him before Pegasus slowly started to smirk. "Ah, I see now," he said impressively. "You have a connection to them of sorts, don't you? I can't see in your mind for some reason..."

"He can read minds?" asked the Pharaoh.

"I'm trying to figure it out," I admitted. "But, if he can, it would explain why he countered your first move perfectly."

"Right," he said. "We need to continue the duel. Time's running out."

Pegasus sat back in his chair. "Ah, very well. If you won't tell me. But, I _will_ find out, Sarah Wind."

"You know who I am?" I asked, astonished.

"Who doesn't?" said Pegasus. "You're all over the news, and who wouldn't know about the Dueling Legend?"

I still had a hard time figuring that out.

"But really, do you have a connection with the Items?"

The same pressured feeling hit my mind, trying to force my mental guards down so it could see inside.

I pushed it away, but barely. It was too tough.

"That isn't any of your business if I did," I sad defiantly. "I only know some legends. And what's it to you?"

Pegasus smirked. "That's my business."

It was my turn to glare. This man knew psychology as well.

The Pharaoh watched the both of us, just as I was during their conversation.

I know for sure now.

This man will cross our paths.

Whether I want him to or not.

"Was that your move?" the Pharaoh asked Pegasus.

The silver-haired man simply nodded. "Yes, it was," he said with another smirk. "Good luck countering it."

"Though I still haven't figured out if he can really read my mind or it's some kind of trick, I have to keep playing," said the Pharaoh. It was just like back in Ancient Egypt; he would want to finish the challenge given to him with bravery. This duel was no exception.

I guess that was why he switched places with Yugi. At the mention of a challenge and duel, he immediately took charge.

The Pharaoh's fingers moved expertly over his hand of cards. He chose his next card, which was Zombie Warrior; a skeleton wearing armour, and was about to play it when suddenly, I felt some magic being used in the room. My eyes darted to the screen, just in time to see Pegasus hide his hair over half his face again, with a confident smirk playing on his lips.

"No way..." I whispered inaudibly. "He _does_ have the Millennium Eye... That _is_ how he knows our cards..."

"Wait," said the Pharaoh, just as he was about to show Pegasus the card. "I can't play this card. He must know."

"He does," I said. "Pegasus definitely knows that you're about to play Zombie Warrior. That's why he looks so confident right now."

The Pharaoh searched for possibilities. It didn't lead him anywhere, because whatever card he chose now, Pegasus would already know about it. He wasn't left with any options.

Or... was he?

"Maybe... if I choose a card from my deck," he said thoughtfully, gazing at his deck of cards like it held all the answers to his problems. It was just a matter of thinking it through whether it was a good idea or not. "If I play a card even I haven't seen, then Pegasus will have no knowledge of it whatsoever."

"It's risky," I informed. "But, if it really is all you can play without losing the round, then you'll have to go for it."

"It's worth it," he said. "I have to get my friends out of here."

He speaks as though he were Yugi... Hm... Could it be that he wasn't sure himself if he was a spirit or not?

The Pharaoh drew his next card—and without even looking—put it down onto the mat. All Faith lies in this card.

"Hurry up, Yugi-boy," smirked Pegasus. He sounded like he already won. "Time is running out; for you and your friends."

"I've figured out your little game, Pegasus," he said. "You may be able to see the cards in my hand, but you can't see the ones I pull from the deck."

Pegasus looked intrigued.

"My next card is..." The Pharaoh flipped the card over to reveal a magician—a magician I knew all too well of its history. "The Dark Magician!"

A magician clad in dark purple robes with a teal sceptre emerged from within the card. He looked just as I remembered, casting a sideways glance my way. I returned the gesture with a small nod.

Master Mahad...

He reminded me so much of him.

Pegasus did not look the least bit fazed, maybe slightly annoyed because he was tricked. "Oooh!" he said in a fake, scared tone. "It's a big, scary Dark Magician."

"Mock me all you like, Pegasus, but my Magician will destroy that dragon."

Pegasus looked his way. "Go right ahead if you think it'll help," he said.

"I can't let the game end with my dragon under your command. Dark Magician; Dark Magic Attack!"

With dark energy, the Magician destroyed the Kuomori Dragon with no problem. It brought Pegasus' life points down, and brought us one step closer to victory and saving Yugi's friends.

**LP: Yugi: 1500/Pegasus: 1200**

But Pegasus laughed triumphantly, instead of worrying about how close he was to losing. "Nicely played!" he said. "But by using your Dark Magician, you've let me manipulate you once again."

The Pharaoh's eyes widened.

"By playing that one card, you have ensured my victory."

The Pharaoh wouldn't believe it. It had to be a bluff. "No," he said.

"We shall see, Yugi," said Pegasus, drawing his next card. He liked what he drew.

"Oh," he said. "A very rare card." He showed us the card, all the while looking like he was close to victory. "This is the fearsome Faceless Mage."

"I've never see that card before," said the Pharaoh. "But my Dark Magician is one of the strongest monsters in the game."

"True," said Pegasus, placing another card down as well. "But how will he fair once I combine my Faceless Mage with my equally rare Eye of Illusion?"

The Illusionist Faceless Mage looked like a faceless puppet as it appeared onto the field, harnessing a golden purple eyes in its hands. The Pharaoh called for an attack, and both monsters collided, sending an explosion in smoke and flame, from the attacks knocking into each other.

Once it all cleared, we noticed that no monster was destroyed.

"Your attack had no effect at all," I realized, finding the attack points on the cards determine how strong a monster was.

"That doesn't make any sense," agreed the Pharaoh. This was not right. Could it have something to do with the magic card Pegasus added?

"His Faceless Mage should have been destroyed. But he's still standing and I'm running out of time."

He was right. Five minutes were left on the clock.

The Pharaoh was up by three hundred life points, but that was only because Pegasus was toying with him. He has got to find a way to beat him at his own Shadow Game.

"Pegasus knows all kinds of tricks," said the Pharaoh. "But I have to find a way to beat him."

"You'll do it," I said. "Um... if it helps... you know what you're doing. Thank Gods you're not asking me for my input."

The Pharaoh visibly flushed. "I'm sorry, Sarah, I—"

"No no. I'm not saying it's bothering me or anything," I said. Then I gave him a small smile. "I only just learned that I dueled before moving into Japan. At the moment, I can't play Duel Monsters to save my life."

Pegasus looked slightly incredulous. "What? You've just learned—oh. I remember now. You were knocked unconscious and forgot all about America, your title, and your connection with Duel Monsters. Tragic story too."

"What's your point?" I glowered.

"My point, Sarah, is that even if you had known everything of Duel Monsters now, nor you and Yugi combined could stop me."

The Pharaoh and I glared, once again reminding us to be quicker in shutting this man up. "We'll see," said the Pharaoh.

"And he has my support," I said quickly, before anyone did anything else. I wanted to make that one point absolutely clear. "That's how come he's not alone in this."

The Pharaoh held a small smile, directed towards me. "Thank you."

Now then, when the Pharaoh finally drew his next card, he hoped for the best. "I attack your combo with the Celtic Guardian!" he said, summoning the monster he just drew. "This mighty warrior will cut your Mage down to size."

An elven warrior dressed up for battle carried a sword in his hand along with the usual soldier face on; of eyes that have seen too much and were dead serious.

"True, your warrior is mighty," said Pegasus, smirking for the umpteenth time. "But you have once again underestimated the incredible power of my Eye of Illusion!"

"No!"

"Dark Magic Attack!"

A dark ball of black shadow was blasted into the Celtic Guardian, dispersing him into shadows. Our eyes widened.

**LP: Yugi: 0400/Pegasus: 1200**

"But... that's impossible!" I cried, confused as well as shocked.

"The Illusionist Faceless Mage doesn't have a 'Dark Magic Attack'!" said the Pharaoh, just as confused.

It was then we saw him. The Dark Magician appeared from the shadows.

With a golden glowing Millennium Eye on his chest, and his eyes soulless.

"No way..." I whispered, disbelievingly.

"He's taken control of my Dark Magician!"

Pegasus merely smiled, trying to act really innocent and in control, while he set another card face down. "Tick, tock, tick, tock!" he said with delight. "Our time is nearly up and it seems as though I have the highest life points. Looks like I win."

He was right. There were only ten seconds left on the clock.

The Pharaoh... he was going to lose.

"There's still time, Pegasus!" he said confidently. Then he quickly drew his next card which was Summoned Skull; a fiend. "I summon the Summoned Skull! Quickly now, attack the Faceless Mage and end this!"

The skull monster drew in lightning from the shadows.

5...4...3...

It then blasted the attack straight at the Faceless Mage, as quick as he could.

2...1...0.

But he was too late.

Right at zero, all the monsters disappeared.

And Summoned Skull's attack never reached Pegasus' Faceless Mage.

The Pharaoh was discouraged.

I was anxious.

He _lost_...

Pegasus won...

Would we be stuck in the Shadow Realm forever?

We were only just reborn... and we were already trapped...? Again?

Pegasus clapped his hands, as though he was watching his favourite soccer team score another goal. "That was quite an interesting match, Yugi, I daresay," he stated calmly, his smirk still on his face. "Now that I've measured your dueling skills, it's time to make my plan roll into motion."

"Plan?" I said. "What plan? What are you scheming?"

Pegasus looked offended. "And why would I tell you that?" he said.

I gritted my teeth in anger.

"No, keeping you here in the Shadow Realm will do me no good," he said. "So, I propose something to you, Yugi-boy. The next time we duel; it'll be for far higher stakes."

"I'm done with your games," said the Pharaoh defiantly, his brows furrowing forward in annoyance with this man.

"You presume I'm giving you a choice in the matter," stated Pegasus matter-of-factly. Suddenly, he moved the curtain of his silver hair away from his left eye to reveal a golden Item with the Millennium Symbol as the eye in its center. I knew it, he _did_ possess a Millennium Item.

"But," he said. "I'm not. Behold, the most powerful Millennium Item out of the seven; the Millennium Eye!"

"A Millennium Eye?" asked the Pharaoh, disbelievingly.

"That's right, Yugi-boy. And now I'll show you the true extent of its magic!"

I felt the surge of magical energy he was suddenly pouring into the room, activating his Millennium Eye. The light nearly blinded us. He was after one target, and it wasn't Yugi.

It was Mr. Mutou.

"You see, I have found that, given the proper incentive, anyone can be made to play my game."

The light enveloped Mr. Mutou, luring his _soul_ out of his body. He then sailed over everyone's heads and directly into the television screen along with all of Pegasus' evil magic. Static replaced the man's smirking face.

The Pharaoh and I lowered our arms from our eyes just as the light began to pass.

Only to be struck with a horrifying sight.

Mr. Mutou... was in the screen, ghosting Yugi's name.

The Pharaoh changed places with Yugi, leaving a stunned school boy in his place, who began frantically clutching the television screen, yelling for his grandfather, unaware of anything that had happened, or trying to forget to try and help his grandfather.

The dark magic finally left, including the image of Mr. Mutou. As the shadows departed, Yugi's friends were free. They were surprised at first, not remembering anything at all, but their distressed friend told them everything they needed to know.

Mr. Mutou's body lay on the floor, senseless.

With no soul.

He was gone.

Everyone's hearts sank into their stomachs.

Including mine.

What had Pegasus' done?

I could hear his voice echo through my mind. "Yes, we _will_ duel again, Yugi. How else will you ever reclaim your grandfather's soul?"

* * *

As I walked back to my new home after a day with Yugi and his friends, with my deck of Duel Monster cards returned to my shorts' pocket and the package of school forms clutched in my hand, I couldn't help but feel so incredibly sad for Yugi.

Pegasus took Mr. Mutou's soul. Now he was imprisoned for reasons unknown. All for his 'plans'.

_The Millennium Items were made to help mankind. Not to use their powers against us!_

What could Pegasus want from Yugi?

What would make him do such an evil thing?

His Millennium Eye...

Because of it, he has made our paths cross. I didn't know how he got the Item, or why he went down a bad road, but now... this wasn't just Yugi's fight to get his grandfather back.

Now, it was the Pharaoh's and my fight as well.

Speaking of the Pharaoh, looking back on being able to see him again, a part of me couldn't believe how well the rebirth spell had worked. Not only was I reborn right after the Pharaoh was released, but my body was ready in nearly the same tip-top shape it used to be back in Ancient Egypt. I think it even worked out perfectly.

But now, we were already faced with a challenge.

And the evil from before hasn't shown itself yet, so until then, we couldn't afford to get comfy.

When I reached the apartment complex, the first thing I was met with was a box. This box confused me, because I didn't tell anyone where I lived since I got here. Or it could have been a mistake and was put on the wrong doorstep. Instincts told me to take it to a post office.

And the idea of a second life, a "Modern Sarah", during my time of entrapment, sounded so odd. But I was beginning to accept it.

_It's pretty late though,_ I thought, looking over the redish-orange sunset on the horizon. It looked beautiful, yet on such a sad day. _I'll bring the box into the apartment, and give it back to the post office tomorrow. After school._

I couldn't believe that I was saying that again. It's been so long since I went to school.

I unlocked the front door and brought the box in, the lights turning on automatically like earlier today. They're very convenient, I realized, setting the the box onto the kitchen counter. I made sure the door was locked before returning to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. Leaning against the counter, thoughtfully, I took a sip.

"Ra... what a day," I found myself saying. Then I drank some more of the water, "I found the Pharaoh, his vessel, a group of caring people, the truth about my modern past, the connection between Duel Monsters and Shadow Games, another Millennium Item, and an evil—all in one day! This has been... insane."

Personally, I couldn't have thought of it any other way. With the Pharaoh involved, everything was serious. And busy. Our schedules were packed. Even after only being reborn.

With a sigh, I finished my water—right when my eyes fell onto the white box. It almost looked like the box Pegasus sent Yugi...

My breath hitched. I was at the box in a second, leaving the empty glass forgotten in the sink. The return address on the top caught my eyes instantly.

It was just as I thought. My heart raced in shock.

It was from Industrial Illusions. Just like Yugi's package.

"So... this is how we'll meet, Pegasus?" I murmured thoughtfully, looking at the envelope taped securely on the top. It had my name written in script. There was no mistaking that the package was meant for me. "You've sent me a package too. Are you trying to lure me into a trap as well?"

Without a second thought, I ripped open the envelope and brought out the piece of paper from within, my blazing scarlet eyes already reading the first sentence:

"_Sarah Wind__,_

_Hearing about your dueling status in the United States intrigued me so much that I have decided to invite you to my tournament at Duelist Kingdom! I expect you'll be there, yes? Until then, see you in a week! Your formal invitation and rules of the tournament will be sent in a day's time from now."_

—_Maximillion Pegasus_

My face visibly showed disgust. This man led us to believe he was an innocent CEO of a major company, but then he showed us differently. What was he doing inviting me—so_ kindly__—_to a... tournament?

What's Duelist Kingdom? Is that a place of some sort?

He's invited me to a tournament.

A... Duel Monsters tournament?

Bah.

I didn't even need to open the box. I already understood what was inside.

A glove, two Star Chips...

I ended up opening the box just to see whether or not I was given a videotape too. When I only saw the glove and Star Chips, I sighed with relief.

Does this mean that Yugi was invited to a tournament as well? If he was given these strange items too?

Pegasus said that the formal invitations would be sent in a day's time from now. I would have to wait until then to start asking questions.

Well, whatever Pegasus has planned, he was not getting away with it.

I brought the box and school forms into my bedroom and set them aside on the floor beside the bed while I seated myself on the red comforter with a pen I found in the duffel bag. While the night was slowly creeping onto Domino City, I was filling out the forms as best as I could. Tomorrow, I should be able to hand these in and get my uniform for school.

Now, I can be with the Pharaoh and his host during school times. After filling out the form, I should begin setting up the room, like putting my new clothes into the closet and undergarments into the dresser.

All the while, thoughts of Pegasus and the Millennium Items spiralled within my mind.

* * *

The next day, after a shower and a change of clothes, I walked myself to Domino High School. It was a bright morning, and I hadn't reached the school on time but during first period. The halls were empty; the classrooms filled. I wondered if Yugi was here, even though he must have been devastated about his grandfather being kidnapped.

As I reached the office, I met the same woman I met yesterday; the secretary. Her suit was neatly pressed and a beautiful chocolate brown colour. She looked up from some documents she was writing on and gave me a smile as I walked through the door.

"Well, hello again!" she greeted kindly. Her pretty blue-green eyes were as warm and welcoming as ever.

"Hello," I said. Then I held out the package of forms to her. Looking back, I was surprised they hadn't been damaged during the fall when Joey ran into me. To think, I met the Pharaoh's host through such an odd event.

"I've filled these forms out as best as I could."

"Oh, thank you Sarah," she said, taking the forms into her own hands. She briefly looked them over to see if I've filled in everything.

She got to the last page and her hand stopped flipping. I almost jumped.

I hadn't seen that page before.

"It seems that you have missed the last page," said the secretary, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "It's the official transfer from your hometown school to Domino High. It requires your parents' signature."

My heart wrenched uncomfortably. Should I tell her my parents weren't in this world anymore?

"W-Well... I have a caretaker," I said suddenly. The secretary was kind, and she meant well. She would understand once I said Ishizu was my Legal Guardian. Though she mightn't have told me, the copy of legal papers she gave me with all the other papers was enough proof. She would always be with me whenever I needed her; that was what she was trying to say.

"She lives in Egypt," I continued. "As my legal caretaker. I have papers at home to prove it..."

By the time I registered the expression on the secretary's face, I knew she already got the message. Her comforting eyes held slight sadness. "Dear, I believe you. There's no need for legal papers of any sort. Just by the look in your eyes I can tell..."

The room fell silent.

"Your parents..."

"Yes," I nodded, feeling my eyes begin to prick painfully with tears wanting to awake, just at the mere mention of my late family. "They're gone. So, I have a Legal Guardian now. Her name is Ishizu Ishtar."

"Oh, Sarah, I'm so sorry."

I gave the woman a small nod. "Thank you, but... it's Destiny, I suppose."

"Is there a way for Ishizu to sign the papers? It's protocol, and if she doesn't sign them, then you can't enroll into the school."

"Is there a way to send the papers to her and get them signed?" I asked, thinking of the post office idea now but for a different reason. "And then she can send them back."

The secretary's face lightened. "You're right, that's an idea," she said thoughtfully. "I'll do just that."

"Thank you," I said with a small smile and bow. "And I'm really sorry for the trouble."

The secretary waved it off. "Oh, don't worry about it," she said. "We'll cover everything. And our top priority is to help students any way we can if it means giving them the education. How will you be able to pay for the fees? Should I send her a notice?"

"Um... She sent me my bank account's debit card. She added a note saying that she added all the family's money into it so I may use it whenever I can. I have it in my pocket right now if it'll help..."

"Excellent! We'll have the last form sent over to Ishizu for her signature, but right now, we'll settle your fees."

We went through the procedure of taking the required amount of money to pay for the school fees from out of my bank account. Behind the secretary, on the second desk, was a small cash register, a debit card machine, and a credit card machine. Again, I could instantly tell what they were because of Modern Sarah. Thank goodness... otherwise I would have been completely lost.

When the secretary punched in the amount of fees I was supposed to pay, I swiped my card in the debit machine and blinked when it asked me for some sort of PIN number. I figured that it was like a password. I nearly panicked, thinking that I didn't know what my PIN number could have been, but before I could, I typed it into the keypad. It came naturally, just like everything else had.

The machine printed out a receipt which I kept safe in my wallet.

"Thank you so much. And um... is it alright if you keep the condition of my parents secret, as well? I... don't feel very comfortable talking about them. Please..."

The kind woman gave me a reassuring nod and smile. "Don't worry," she said. "Everything's safe with me. I promise."

"Thank you."

"Now, about your uniform." The woman excused herself before standing up from her chair and walked into a different room in the back. A few minutes later, she came back, but this time, she was holding the Domino High School uniform for girls. It looked exactly like Téa's outfit on the day I met her and her friends.

The uniform was a wavy, short blue skirt and a fitting pink blouse with a blue bow. It didn't look all that bad, but the skirt was exceptionally short...

"Ah, here we go. I think this size should fit you nicely," said the secretary, handing me the folded uniform.

I held onto it. "Yes, I think it's fine as well," I said with a small smile. "Thank you. Er... should I change into it right now?"

The secretary looked at me thoughtfully, as if she was trying to figure something out. "Well... classes have already started. And, I did tell you yesterday that you could come in tomorrow to start your first day. So, as you change into it right now, I'll come up with your schedule. How does that sound?"

"That's a good idea," I said. "May I ask a favour? May all my classes be with 'Yugi Mutou', please? I met him and his friends just outside yesterday after I left the office. We ran into each other. I think that since he's one of the first people I met..."

The woman smiled. "How wonderful! You've already have a great student met! Yugi's awfully kind. Of course, I'll do it."

As I was changing into the uniform in the staff bathroom right next door, the secretary was typing up my schedule and putting things in order. Once I got out, with my shorts and t-shirt neatly folded in my hands, I checked myself over even though I checked in the mirror.

The uniform was very pretty overall. The pink blouse fit me adequately, showing my curves and small, but very strong, frame. And the skirt? Although it felt a bit revealing, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I just wasn't used to wearing something so short before. This piece of clothing falls in a wavy pattern halfway down my thighs, showing two smooth, fair skinned legs. Then there were my sneakers, which I had to change into brown dress shoes.

I didn't look all too bad, I thought.

When I returned into the office, the secretary told me my locker number, gave me my schedule, and handed me a few books to get started. My arms were loaded, but I could handle it.

"Thank you so much," I said again, grateful for the woman's help. I gave her a bow while stabilizing the books and my clothes in my hands.

The kind woman smiled; her eyes shone with care. "You're welcome, dear," she said. "Good luck. I already sent a telegram to your homeroom teacher yesterday after you came in. The same grade gets the same teacher for homeroom, so it was easy to figure that out. Now then, if you ever need anything, come back to me and I'll be glad to help."

"I'll be sure to," I said with a smile. I bowed once more, said my thanks again, and left the office, making my way through the school. On the back of my schedule, which was the side the secretary left up for me to see, was a map of the whole school. I used it to get to my locker.

Once I used the locker number that was written on my schedule, I managed to open the lock with no problem at all, and dumped my things inside, only choosing a book and pen for homeroom. This had to be a routine between each class, before school, and after it. I had to get to my locker to get the right things for the right class.

I followed the map again for homeroom and found the closed door to it. With a deep breath, I knocked.

From the other side, I could hear nothing but silence. I was paying too much attention getting to my class that I hadn't bothered to try and hear any other students. The door finally opened and there stood a baffled teacher. Until realization hit him.

"You're the new student, aren't you?" he asked. The teacher was also middle-aged, with dark brown hair and black glasses. He looked young, but some stress lines said differently.

I nodded. "Yes, I am," I said. "My name is Sarah Wind, sir. It's very nice to meet you."

The teacher smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Sarah," he said. Then, after introducing himself, he led me inside, silencing the rest of the class from tiny whispering to introduce me.

"Attention class, we've got a new student who just moved in from Egypt. Please say hello to Sarah Wind."

I gave the whole class a bow. "Hello," I said with a smile.

A slightly gawking Yugi Mutou was seated near the window, looking quite handsome in his school uniform.

Some of the kids broke into whispering, telling their neighbouring classmates something they've heard. Almost instantly, the whole class was beginning to look surprised.

...Oh... They must know of me being the Dueling Legend.

I spotted Téa, Joey, and Tristan right next to Yugi, giving me silent waves of welcome. I smiled in their direction.

"And we're looking forward to having you in the class," said the teacher. He fixed his glasses slightly awkwardly before glancing around the classroom for a seat to assign to me.

"Hm... why don't you sit behind Yugi Mutou, in the seat by the window? Yugi, please raise your hand so Sarah knows where to sit."

With no hesitation, Yugi raised his hand. I nodded to the teacher and made my way through the rows of desks to get to my seat. Eyes followed me as I went. I didn't feel nervous, just a bit revealed by the pleated skirt.

I set my books onto the desk and took my seat. The teacher said, "Very good. Now, onto the lesson at hand..."

As soon as the teacher turned his back to write something on the chalkboard behind him, the rest of the class turned back around, closing their mouths in the process and trying to listen to their teacher and the lesson.

While the four I was sitting in the middle of turned away from the front of the room to give me grins.

"Welcome to Domino High School," said Téa with a smile. "It's so cool that you're going here, it's such a good school."

I smiled. "Thanks," I said. "I feel home already."

* * *

My first school day in over 5,000 years went by as all the others had gone; slow and full of knowledge. I always thought that the more knowledge one had was the best thing in the world, because it made you a more educated person, and not only did it teach you things you've never known before, but it made you even more secure when you were making your decisions.

As the sun was slowly creeping into dinner time, I was walking back to the apartment with my newly acquired books in hand along with my folded clothes. I felt like how I did when I used to study magic back in Ancient Egypt; excited and thrilled. School may not be a favourite among other teens my age, but I simply adored it because of the fulfilling feeling it gave me at the end of the day.

I walked up the two porch steps and was about to unlock the door—when the envelope stopped me dead in my tracks.

A crisp, white envelope was lodged in between the hinges of the front door. It nearly shocked me.

Formal invitation... sent to you in a day's time from now...

Oh my gods... the envelope held Pegasus' invitation to the Duelist Kingdom Tournament.

* * *

I brought the envelope with me to school the next day.

Another bright and cheery morning, and with no school admission forms or fees to worry about (Ishizu was sent the form she was supposed to sign yesterday, along with a note from me saying everything I wanted her to know except for whatever happened between Yugi and Pegasus. The form will be sent back to the school some time in the week.), I could finally focus on the task at hand.

Like Pegasus and his involvement with the Millennium Items and Yugi.

During lunch, everyone was outside enjoying the sunshine. The lush grass was a beautiful green and the sky a wonderful blue. A few fluffy, white clouds were lost in the blue abyss above right next to the sun which reminded me of the smile my parents gave each other during their anniversaries.

But I could tell that the mood in everyone's hearts was far from cheery. We were seated under a Sakura tree on the school's campus.

When I saw the worried looks on Téa's, Joey's, and Tristan's faces directed to their smallest friend, I felt my own heart wrench.

Yugi lost his grandfather for Gods' sake. He must be feeling totally lonely right now.

Though the frown on his face showed sorrow, the look in his eyes would catch you off guard given the circumstances.

In Yugi's amethyst eyes was a determination I have only seen in one other person in my entire life. The Pharaoh.

Yugi was not going to give up.

Especially since he was mailed the exact same thing I was mailed just yesterday, and at the same time too.

"So both Yugi and Sarah were invited to this new tournament?" asked Téa, slightly confused. We all were. It wasn't everyday someone duels you, takes some one's soul and then asks you to be in their new tournament.

"Yeah, it sure looks that way," said Tristan, looking over the envelope's contents like an investigator. "Both your guys' invitations are the same."

What Yugi and I found in our envelopes was the same thing, Duel Monster cards in the shape of normal instructions as picture books; a formal invitation to Pegasus' new tournament on Duelist Kingdom (which turned out to be an island he owned), a date and time for the ship to the island, a card with a bunch of gold coins and crowns on it, and a card that was blank.

It was an odd collection... but they meant something.

Yugi held up the one with a picture of an island on it, reading aloud what was written below it. "'You are invited to my new tournament at Duelist Kingdom,'" read Yugi, furrowing his brows in thought. "'I would be very delighted if you were able to come. Bring your dueling deck, invitation and companion cards, and your new dueling glove and Star Chips.'"

"Well, at least we know what those funny looking objects were," said Joey thoughtfully, looking at the cards with a far away look in his eyes. It was like he was occupied with his own little world.

"You're right," agreed Téa. "They were quite confusing."

I picked up the next card that came after the invitation. It had a picture of a mythic boat riding over waves. "According to this card, we have to be at the Pier by 9:00 pm a week from now," I said. "That's the time the boat will come to pick up all the duelists going to the tournament. Then it'll transport everyone to the Duelist Kingdom Island."

"Are you going, Yugi?" asked Tristan.

Everyone knew what the answer would be, but we just wanted to make sure.

"Yes," said Yugi, determination reigning supreme in his amethyst eyes. "I have to. Pegasus has my grandpa and I need to get him back. Whatever the cost."

"Well... we can't take this any other way," said Tristan. "Pegasus isn't really giving us a choice. What about you, Sarah?"

I nodded. "I thought it over and... I'm going," I said. "It'll be dangerous, though, Yugi. Pegasus is capable of things we don't know about. Like... he portrayed the day before."

"I still can't believe he took grandpa's soul!" said Joey disbelievingly. "It doesn't make any sense."

"That's why I'm going," said Yugi. "So I can rescue grandpa, and find out what Pegasus is trying to do."

That's why I'm going too, even though my original answer was because the Pharaoh was going with Yugi. Now there are two reasons for me.

"Hey, what are these two cards for?" asked Tristan, holding up the last two cards.

"'The Glory of the King's Hand' and 'The Glory of the King's Opposite Hand'..." I read aloud curiously. "I think 'The Glory of the King's Hand' is a prize for the winner of the tournament. It says... three million dollars."

"Three million dollars?" said Téa incredulously. "That's a lot of money."

"Yeah, but who cares about money at a time like this?" said Yugi. "I'm only going into the tournament for my grandpa. I don't want to get rich."

Suddenly, Joey's hands were all over the prize money card. His deep honey coloured eyes were eager and hopeful, but most of all, he was excited about the talk of three million dollars.

"Really, three million?" he asked no one in particular. It was like he saw something he had wanted for a while. Everyone nodded. "Wow... three million... in cold cash..."

"I guess Joey does..." said Yugi quietly, watching his friend worriedly.

Everyone got the feeling that the blond wasn't telling them something.

As Joey gave the card back, but was left with more thoughtfulness, we went on looking at the last card; The Glory of the King's Opposite Hand.'

"I wonder why it's blank..." wondered Yugi, looking at the card carefully.

I shrugged. "Blank... nothing... but it could also mean anything," I said. "It's blank so... maybe you get a chance at winning something you want. Like you get a choice."

"We should keep these cards with us at all times," said Yugi. "They'll come in handy, and we might need them for entry onto the boat and onto the island."

"Good idea," agreed Téa. "There's a week's time. You should prepare for it, Yugi."

The other nodded, already feeling the adrenaline of new hope flowing through his veins.

There was more reason here.

Some one's life was at stake.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Woot! I can't believe how long this chapter turned out to be! 45 pages on OpenOffice! -anime fall- And it took so long...!

BUT hopefully, it makes more sense than the original, but very sketchy chapter. ^^' Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you liked it! Please, let me know how I did! Thank you! ^^

_"And so it began. Our first fight against another Millennium Item. Though it shouldn't have happened, but Destiny had her reasons. And although the Pharaoh did not know of me yet, he would soon. We'll fight together without realizing it."_


	6. Journey to Duelist Kingdom

**Latest ****Revision****: 31****/12/12**

**Author****'****s ****Note****: **Hey there everyone! ^^ I rewrote this chapter! Hope you like it!

In this chapter, Yugi and Sarah are going to Duelist Kingdom for the tournament Pegasus is hosting. Yugi is going to go save his grandfather and Sarah is going along so she could keep him company. But her real reason is pretty obvious for us readers; it's because the Pharaoh is going so that means she has to go with him. On the way, they meet with challenges and friends. And who is this mysterious person Sarah suddenly sees? It doesn't make any sense...

**Disclaimer****!: **Fan fiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**Duelist ****Kingdom****-****The ****Beginning ****of ****a ****New ****Story ****Chapter**** 5**

The atmosphere within the house and Game Shop wasn't the same without Mr. Mutou, according to Yugi. I had begun to feel bad for him because of the loneliness he must have been feeling, but every time he was around his friends, he was almost back to his old self. I was sure there was some sort of void in his heart from missing his grandpa, even so.

"I'll get him back," he said with determination filling his round amethyst eyes. "Just you wait, Pegasus; I'll beat you at your own game."

Whenever he talked of such hope, the void probably disappeared. After all, there _was_ a way to get Mr. Mutou back. The whole reason the void in my heart hadn't gone away was because it was a reminder of how I won't ever be able to get my parents back. They were gone—while a solution for Mr. Mutou existed. I was glad there was a way. To have someone as kind and loving as Yugi go down into the dumps was a lot like letting the sun fall into the universe; plunging the world into eternal darkness.

The time for the Duelist Kingdom Tournament had finally come. During the couple hours before, I was packing a small blue duffel bag with things I thought were necessary for a trip. I bought the carry-on a day ago for this exact occasion. I packed an extra set of clothes, a couple of towels, a toiletry bag, some food, and my wallet. The leather pouch held my bank card, which Ishizu was so kind in setting up for me, and the family picture I found in the shorts' pocket after being reborn. It was a beautiful little reminder of my family, and I greatly appreciated it.

Another thing I had bought before today, along with the smaller duffel and the wallet, was this thigh sheath to hold my deck of Duel Monster cards. It was a black leather band which was sewn onto a small pouch of the same material. I buckled it securely around my right leg with my deck of cards inside and I was good to go. The week until the tournament was finally over. The waiting, ceased. We had practiced together as best as we could for this tournament. We were ready.

Yugi and I decided to meet at the Pier, where the boat taking us to Duelist Kingdom was docked. I double-checked to make sure I had everything I thought I needed and zipped the duffel back up.

It was 8:45 by the time I finished, and I realized that I should be going. Since the time on the invitation was 9:00 pm, why would I want to go to the Pier at the peak of time? However, if I go a little while before, I could have time to spare. Plus, Yugi was probably already there.

I set the automatic lights in the apartment to "off", manually so they don't turn on during the trip and waste energy. Grabbing my duffel bag from off the bed, I walked out the front door; locking it behind me and stuffing the key deep into the duffel's side pocket.

I could tell this tournament was going to be interesting. I didn't know what gave me the feeling—maybe it was the fact that I met Yugi Mutou; _the_ solver of the Millennium Puzzle—but it was going to be an adventure. It was my first Duel Monsters tournament since being reborn, and I should feel excited. But truth be told, I was a little nervous.

The reason, though, I thought this tournament would be an adventure, was because I had to attend with the Pharaoh as a spirit inside the Millennium Puzzle. From what I've witnessed the day I met Yugi and his family and friends, the Pharaoh could switch places with Yugi. So it was a way for him to communicate, and it was great news to me, because I would have had a tough time helping him if there was no communication whatsoever.

According to the newspaper Mr. Mutou had showed me, before he was stolen out of his body, I was a pretty good duelist in the United States. But ever since that 'accident' I've had amnesia about me being a duelist. Now, I ended up being in Japan somehow. Well, I know why I was here. Yugi was here.

Fate had a funny way of putting things together sometimes. Not funny as in laughing funny, but funny as in interesting funny. Without the supposed 'amnesia', I'd be going to the tournament probably all happy and excited. But since I do have amnesia, about everything having to do with me and Duel Monsters, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Will I remember how to duel when the time comes? What if I fail and not be able to be of any use to the Pharaoh? I hope none of the questions become negative. I've only just been reborn.

I forced the nervous feeling away. Thinking negatively about myself won't help me. I have to believe I can do it. I _can_ go into the tournament and be of some help to the Pharaoh and his host.

I _will_ Guard.

* * *

The sky was dark, say for the stars twinkling everywhere against the black backdrop. The moon shone; its pure white rays brightening the streets as half the illumination. The street lamps lined along the roads were the other half, casting an orange-white haze over the pavement. Houses had no lights on in them, most likely because it's the time everyone's asleep. Very few people kept their lights on in order to stake their normal sleeping patterns.

My sneakers padded quietly along the sidewalk and deeper into the streets. I followed the route Yugi had showed me after school. The roads wounded and turned; sometimes, I even wondered if I was going the right way. But when the smell of ocean water reached my nose, and I saw some seagulls quietly trying to catch a midnight snack of fish, I knew I had reached the pier. To confirm my suspicions, there were crowds of people—all teenagers—next to a giant cruise ship parked at the dock. A few men in suits patrolled the entrance where a table was set up. A large ramp led from the pier to the door of the ship..

I scanned the crowd for Yugi. I found him emerging from a wall of people.

"Hey, Sarah!" he called in my direction with a wave of his arm. I ran up to meet him, clutching the blue duffel bag over my shoulder.

"Hello, Yugi," I greeted with a friendly smile. "How are you?"

Yugi returned the smile. "To tell you the truth, a little nervous," he said with a small laugh. "All these duelists crowded into one place, and the giant boat docked off to the side, seem a little intimidating."

"Yes, I know what you mean," I said. "I was just thinking about how I was feeling a bit anxious as well. What with me not remembering how to duel and all."

The young boy nodded. "Right, I almost forgot," he said. Shaking his head in disbelief, he added, "I can't imagine what you might be going through."

_Oh__, __Yugi__. __No__... __you __don__'__t__. __You __don__'__t __even __know __of __the __Pharaoh__. __Without __the __knowledge __of __him__, __how __will __you __have __knowledge __of __me__?_ I gave him a small shrug. "To me, it sounded a lot like a fairytale," I admitted. "I wasn't expecting it—because of the amnesia—but now that I _do_ know, I'm ready to move on with life, but with the knowledge of me being the 'Dueling Legend'."

"Do you remember anything about America?" asked Yugi. "Maybe...the school you went to? Any friends?"

With a frown, I shook my head. "I'm afraid not. Educational subjects and academics I will have no problem with, but it's the school in general I don't remember. And if I were to have friends all the way in America, I'm sure I would have seen their contact information lying around in my belongings."

With a nod, Yugi agreed. "You seem formal," he said suddenly. When he saw me quirking an eyebrow at him, he quickly shook his hands in defence. "I-I wasn't saying it was bad or anything. I've... just... never met someone as formal as you before."

"Oh," I said, feeling the corners of my lips tug upwards. "It's something I've grown up with. To be formal and all. My parents had taught me so I may give respect to everyone." At the sudden thought of them what I could make of a smile fell. My heart felt heavy with longing.

Yugi also looked at me sadly; his shining amethyst eyes looking solemn. "I'm really sorry about your parents," he said a little quietly, as if the abrupt silence would shatter. "You must miss them terribly. Going to school and leaving your family behind for it is always tough for everyone."

I nodded and tried to force the stinging in my eyes to disappear. "Yes," I admitted, clutching the duffel's long strap even tighter to keep my emotions in control. "I do miss them. But... I suppose it's life. I don't wish to change what happened because it can't be undone. Though... I miss them so much..."

With a small nod, Yugi placed a comforting hand on my arm. It felt warm—and so were his eyes. "You can always visit," he said. I smiled at the thought.

He thought I was sad because my parents were in Egypt and I was in Japan. When, in reality, I was talking about their death. I still wondered about when I should tell him the truth.

"Attention all duelists!" A voice suddenly boomed from the ship's entrance. It was one of the suited men. They were probably security guards of some sort, here for the tournament, and Pegasus' minions. I wonder if we could trust any of them like we trust him...

Everyone's attention turned to the man who just called for attention. They stopped chatting amongst themselves to listen to what the man had to say. It was then I noticed the shades all the suits were wearing to cover their eyes—and their identities. They reminded me of secret agents; looking snazzy and sharp in their neatly pressed outfits and ties.

"As was said in your invitations, there is a boat taking you to Duelist Kingdom; the place the tournament is being held. It's the boat behind me by the way. We want to formally thank you for being able to participate. With your invitations came a duelist glove and two Star Chips. The Star Chips are your ticket in, so please have them ready here at the table before getting on board the boat. Thank you, and we hope you enjoy the ride."

With Star Chips in hand, all the duelists formed a line behind the table at the entrance to the boat. There were others who also had bags on their shoulders, and one by one, as everyone showed their Star Chips, the duelists entered. They entered into the boat, ready to start their journey to Duelist Kingdom. Yugi and I were among them, catching a spot somewhere in the middle.

Suddenly, there was a commotion. We heard shouts from farther up the line. Curiously, I looked to the left to see who could've been making the racket, until I saw a couple of security guards dragging a familiar blond headed kid away. He was resisting and trying to get loose, but the grip the guards had on him was iron.

I blinked.

"Er... Yugi?" I said, poking said boy's shoulder. Then I pointed into the direction the security guards were hauling the blond away. "Is that Joey?"

Yugi looked away from his right and into the direction I was pointing. I think he was trying to find the source of the commotion too, until I just showed him.

"Hey, it is!" said Yugi. "Excuse me, Sarah, but I have to go see what's up." With that, he sped off to see what Joey got himself into. He didn't seem all too surprised. Did Joey get into trouble often?

_Wait__! __Yugi __is __the __Pharaoh__'__s __host__! __I __can__'__t __just __let __him __go __off __like __this__._ Leaving my spot in line as well I followed after Yugi, feeling my duffel bag bouncing against my hip. Now that I found him, why would I take him out of my sight even for a moment?

"What do you think you're doing?" asked one of the guards, dragging Joey by the arm away from the boat.

"I was trying to get into the boat! What does it look like I'm doing? Playing poker?" cried Joey exasperated, trying to wrench his limbs free from the two men holding him. It was no use. They were too strong.

"Duelists don't try to sneak on board," said the other suit. I thought I could see him glare at Joey even from behind his shades.

"Joey?" asked Yugi, finally coming to a stop next to the three. His face held concern for his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"What, you don't think I'd let you go to this tournament all on your own, did you?" Joey asked Yugi through careful eyes as the he resisted the guards' pulling for a moment to talk to his friend. "Can you help me out?"

Yugi turned to the guards. "Please, you've gotta let him onto the boat," he said.

One of the suits shook his head. "He doesn't have any Star Chips," he said. "Only people with Star Chips are allowed on board."

"But Joey does have a Star Chip. Didn't he tell you?"

Everyone blinked in a confused manner at the shorter boy. Even me. What was he talking about? Joey never got an invitation, let alone any Star Chips.

… what was he trying to do?

Then, Yugi held out a clenched fist towards Joey, indicating him to hold out his palm. The blond blinked at the hand before holding out his own, breaking away from the guards' relentless grip. Yugi placed something into his friend's hand, and everyone stared at it in shock. Mostly Joey, at the fact that his best friend just sacrificed half his invite.

Yugi had given Joey one of his Star Chips.

Joey stared at the little gold Star Chip, speechless. He couldn't believe what was happening. "Yugi..."

"See? He has one. Now you have to let him on."

The guards exchanged glances, unsure of how to handle the situation. "You'll be at a disadvantage," offered one of the guards. "If the other duelists see you with only one Star Chip, they'll recognize you as the weakest duelist."

"I'd rather take the risk," said Yugi, definitely. "The invitation doesn't say we need both Star Chips to enter. So, by giving Joey one, he'll be able to enter with me. I'd rather take the risk than go in without him. I need him."

After a call to their boss (Pegasus), they said it was okay. I couldn't believe what I've just witnessed. Yugi gave up half of his ticket to Joey just so he would be able to come onto the boat with us. It was inspiring to see someone be so loyal to his friends. It reminded me of how much I was willing to give up for the Pharaoh. The determination Yugi had to have Joey on the boat was... in one word... incredible.

Yugi cared a whole lot for his friends and family. Fate chose an excellent person to solve the Millennium Puzzle. I have a feeling that he'll become really close to the Pharaoh. He looks so much like him too, and he has all the qualities the Pharaoh doesn't show. They're complete opposites; Yugi is kind, caring, and loving, while the Pharaoh is brave, courageous, and assertive.

Two opposites that make a whole.

Yugi is like the light half—and the Pharaoh is like the dark half.

Hikari and Yami.

It was incredible.

And I figured that out just now. Was my thinking on overdrive?

Joey, Yugi, and I got on board the ship after showing our Star Chips to the men at the table. The line was fairly short now, so the boat might be leaving for Duelist Kingdom soon.

"Thanks for helping me out back there, man," said Joey as the three of us leaned freely against the railing of the boat. We were now on deck with all the other duelists, enjoying the cool evening air and the sparkling ocean water under the moonlit sky. The boat was ready to go, and all the duelists were accounted for. The guards and crew were just double checking everything to make sure nothing was out of place, and then we would be on our way.

Yugi smiled. "It was nothing," he said modestly. "I didn't want to see how the guards disposed of you, anyway."

Playfully, Joey patted Yugi's shoulder, only to make the smaller laugh with him. Then he went on to ruffling my hair, in a good-natured manner, I know, as I was gazing breathlessly out at the open water sparkling under the moon.

"So, Sarah's coming along with us, too? This should be fun."

I blinked at the blond curiously. "Are you inviting me to join?" I asked him. Actually, if Joey hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have known how I would've gone about doing things. They just met me and they could have not wanted me around.

Joey smiled. "Of course we are! Aren't we, Yug'?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. You're welcome to be with us during the tournament. I'm pretty sure going about on your own won't be any fun."

"Thank you," I said, thinking that it was awfully thoughtful of them. "And I might be lost, because I don't think I know what I'll be doing."

Joey laughed kindheartedly. "Don't worry. It'll all work out. You just need some warm up matches. Soon, you'll be dueling like a pro again in no time. Like Yugi."

The smaller sweat dropped. "I don't think I would call myself a pro," he said.

"What~ Even after beating Kaiba?" Yugi shrugged.

I blinked at them curiously again. "I'm sorry, but who's... 'Kaiba'?"

It was Joey's turn to blink. "You haven't heard of him?" he asked. With a small frown, I shook my head. "Oh... it might be because of the amnesia."

"Seto Kaiba is the Duel Monsters Champion," explained Yugi. "He's a really strong duelist—,"

"—until Yugi came up and beat him to a pulp!" Joey cried triumphantly, patting his pal on the shoulder. "When Yugi dueled, it was crazy simple."

"Well... it wasn't hard when I knew what I was fighting for."

I nodded, understanding what Yugi was talking about. "I can relate, Yugi. I'm pretty determined at what I do, too. Without being ascertain, I will never get the job done."

Yugi looked at me like he found a long lost friend. "I know, right?" he said.

Joey just stared at us blankly. Then he laughed.

"I thought you looked familiar. You're that guy who beat Kaiba, aren't you?" The three of us turned our heads into the direction of the new voice. We were a little surprised from someone we weren't expecting to come up to us and start talking. When our eyes met the mystery person, I almost heard Joey's and Yugi's jaws hit the ground.

A metre away stood a woman as tall as Joey, with her long blonde hair curling down her back like a waterfall. She wore lavender and white coloured clothes consisting of a white shirt with a lavender vest thrown over, a purple skirt and dark knee-high boots. She had a sack thrown over her shoulder and a slight smirk on her face. She looked confident. Her violet eyes were cunning, like she was daring people with them.

"It's hard to believe a squirt like you can beat a champ like him," she said, almost dangerously flirtatiously. Yugi shrunk back against the railing, stuttering like a fool and blushing like an idiot.

"Hey there, Miss!" said Joey with a charming smile, though the blush on his cheeks never left. Of course... I should have known guys would go gaga over girls like this... it was natural for them to.

"I'm the main man's friend, Joey Wheeler—,"

"Look," the woman interrupted sharply, glaring enough to send shivers down everyone's spines. "You're either a champ or a chump, if you want to keep winning, cut this guy loose. He's fashion challenged and has a lousy haircut."

Joey seemed to like being insulted by her.

"Maybe we'll get to duel during the tournament," offered Yugi, hoping Joey's dreams didn't get crushed this soon.

The woman smirked. "I'll crush you all, eventually," she said matter-of-factly.

Then her eyes involuntarily landed on mine. I almost jumped from the amount of fire I saw in her gaze.

"Hey... you're familiar, too," she said thoughtfully, looking me over with a less intense expression. "Are you Sarah Wind, the Dueling Legend? What are you doing with these boys?" she said the word 'boys' like it was—almost—like a disease. Almost because of Yugi's new status.

"I just moved to Domino City and happened to... literally... run into them," I said, truthfully. "Joey, Yugi and I were headed for the same tournament, so we decided to go together."

The woman considered this to much distaste. "Alright..." she said. "But if they give you trouble, let me know. The name's Mai. Mai Valentine."

I nodded, with the tiniest of sweat drops on the side of my head. "Thanks, Mai. I'll be sure to."

She waved and started heading off. "Good luck with the duels. You're going to need it boys." Then she disappeared into a crowd of duelists.

"...please... crush me..."

I rolled my eyes. Boys can be so ridiculous at times...

"Joey, I think you should be careful..." said Yugi, eyeing his suddenly lovesick friend.

Joey waved it off with a slight shake of his hand. "Eh, I know what I'm doing," he said. Yugi and I exchanged nervous glances.

From out of the corner of my eye, I saw something flicker. It was a blur of orange and was completely off from the white colour of the boat, I turned my head to see what it was.

There was a boy, who looked around our age, leaning against the railing, overlooking the ocean. The orange I saw was the colour of his spiky hair. It wasn't an intense orange colour, or a soft one, but a sweet medium. His face was slender and his eyes looked focused as they gazed over the open water. He was wearing a black shirt underneath his grey hoodie and black knee long shorts.

He looked like any other boy. _I __wonder __why __he __caught __my __eyes__... _I wondered, still staring curiously at him. For some weird reason, a part of my mind told me not to look away. Like... I knew him or something...

He probably noticed me because his gaze switched from looking over the ocean to me. My heart started racing for some reason, and a sharp pain jolted through my head. A lot like my thoughts running into a wall. I couldn't understand at all why.

Our eyes met and locked.

The smile on his face was small and thoughtful.

Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder, making him turn to look at them. The other whispered something to him, making him nod. They were going to leave, but the boy I was having a staring contest with looked over his shoulder to me, gave me one last glance, this time of pure innocence, before disappearing behind a door.

And the whole while, I didn't understand what happened. My heart wouldn't stop racing and my head hurt so much I almost collapsed.

"Woah there, Sarah," said Joey, grabbing my arm when he saw me tipping over. Sudden concern was evident in his eyes. "What happened? Do you need to sit down or something?"

I grabbed my head with one hand, still so very confused of what just happened. "Er... no. I don't think so. I'm fine, Joey. Really."

The blond gave me a hesitant look before letting go of my arm. I momentarily saw his eyes flicker into the direction of the boy my eyes had caught before landing firmly onto mine.

"Maybe we should go in and check out our rooms," suggested Yugi, whose face also held concern.

I nodded that it was a good idea, but that was incredibly weird. Who was that guy? And why did my head hurt so much whenever I tried harder to think about him? It probably had something to do with the modern half of my soul. Maybe Modern Sarah and that boy met at some point...?

I winced as the boys led me in through a door. My head was throbbing still and I had no idea why. It was as if, whenever I thought about Modern Sarah, or the modern half of my soul, an invisible force pushed me away. As if I wasn't able to access it. Maybe I couldn't... because of the amnesia.

* * *

The first thing we got to witness was Joey's frantic screaming at the sight of the rooms we were staying in. I thought my head would start hurting even more. It was certainly bad enough to capture the guards' attention.

"What? You've got to be kidding me! This is a luxury cruiser, and you're putting us in these common rooms?"

"You again? Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

Yugi and I sighed as the men in suits tried pulling Joey together. All the other duelists watched the spectacle with blinking eyes. We were one step away from claiming that we didn't know him.

When we were just walking in through the main doors and into a lobby, a guard directed us into, what Joey called, the "common rooms". The matted floor was for the duelists to sit or sleep on, and shelves and columns of cubbyholes for them to put their bags and shoes in. The green mats looked comfortable underneath the bright lighting, but the fact that we had to share the floor with everyone else made it look less inviting. Hence, why Joey started throwing a fit in the middle of the large room with an audience.

As Joey kept arguing with a couple of guards, two boys showed up in the doorway, wondering what the fuss was about. Yugi and I were off to the side so we noticed them coming in.

One had brown hair tucked into a red cap and deep purple eyes. He wore some casual clothes with a brown sack slung over his shoulder.

The other had a hairstyle oddly in the shape of a blue beetle, with large and round, yellow rimmed glasses, which covered dark blue eyes. He wore a long green coat over his clothes, which I couldn't tell what they looked like. He also had a backpack over both shoulders.

Both held a smug look on their face. And they looked oddly familiar...

"Can you tell your friend over there that the luxury rooms only go to the duelists from the past tournaments?" said the guy with the red cap as he turned to face us.

"I'm sure he's just very excited for the tournament that he's letting it out in anger," I said pathetically, trying to back him up. It could have been a whole different reason he was making a riot. After all, it was a disregard to people's privacy. Luxury cruise or not, people should be given their own rooms.

"Aren't you two Weevil and Rex? From the last tournament?" asked Yugi with a small blink.

"Yes, we are," said the boy with the blue hair and glasses, who I now remember as Weevil. "And you're that duelist who beat Kaiba! It's unordinary for a rookie to beat the Duel Monsters Champion."

Yugi shrugged, eager to get off the subject. "So, you're in this tournament too? It would be cool if we caught ourselves in a duel against each other," he said, trying to make come conversation.

"Yes, a regional champ against the one who beat Kaiba. I'm sure it would have interesting results."

"Oh, right," said Yugi. "You were the one to won the tournament. By the way, congratulations."

The smug look on Weevil's face never left. It was like a permanent part of him. I could tell just by the constant gesture that he wasn't up to any good, no matter how nice he may act.

"Thank you. But, I wouldn't really call it an accomplishment until I have beaten Kaiba," he said thoughtfully. "Since you've beat him, it's you."

I narrowed my eyes slightly in suspicion. His smirk was still there...

Rex stretched his arms above his head. "Well, either you get stomped or you do the stomping. Best of luck on the tournament. You guys are gonna need it to stay out of my way."

"Thanks," I said, though my voice changed a bit. It sounded as though I meant what I said, but didn't mean it all at the same time... The word for it was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't remember what it was. That's it. _Remember_. Modern Sarah must have something to do with it.

"Have you heard of the new rules?" asked Weevil suddenly.

_New __rules__? __For __the __tournament__? __What __does __he __mean__?_ I thought.

Yugi shook his head. "No, I'm afraid we haven't," he said.

Weevil's voice suddenly grew a lot quieter and there was a slight bit of tension hanging in the air. Another bad feeling entered my thoughts. Weevil seemed so cool and well-put-together that it seemed awfully weird he couldn't stop smirking. It looked like he was smugly planning something only he knows.

"Apparently, Mr. Pegasus has made some special rules for this new tournament," he said, quietly. "They have something to do with the cards in our decks."

"Our cards...?" I asked, casting a glance towards the thigh sheath around my right leg, which was supporting my Duel Monsters deck.

Weevil nodded. "Yes, but they're secret," he said.

That's strange. Here's Weevil telling us this new information that's secret that he apparently knows. Did he steal the rules? Surely if they were secret, no one was supposed to know about them... I had a feeling Yugi thought it was suspicious too, because his normally round eyes were now careful.

"Well," I said, raising my shoulders. "I suppose we'll find out what they are when we get to the island."

Yugi nodded. "Right," he said. "We'll have to be careful if the rules are directed to our cards."

"They could affect them physically," I agreed. "for all we know."

I think Weevil found our carefulness a but unsatisfying, because he decided to change the subject. What was he watching for? A surprised reaction by his knowledge? "It would help you immensely if your deck is already prepared," he said. "unlike the other duelists."

Yugi and I turned our attention to all the other duelists. Everyone was sitting around in groups of two, three, or four. They were either dueling for some practice or trading cards. Joey was among them, jumping between groups, asking who wanted to trade cards with him. Yugi and I had small sweat drops on the side of our heads.

"If you've come all this way and still haven't finished putting together your deck, you're going to have an awfully hard time trying to last in the tournament," said Weevil.

"We have no reason to keep our decks unfinished," said Yugi. "Right, Sarah?"

I nodded. "That's right," I said. "Joey's just... refining his deck, is all." From out of the corner of my eye, I saw the blond, with a goofy grin on his face, practically flying from group to group. The poor duelists didn't even understand what he was trying to do.

Weevil shrugged. "Hats off to you then," he said, nonchalantly. "It might be best if your friend is getting prepared now. The time we have on the boat is the only time we have of getting completely ready for the tournament. Once we're on land, there might not be any chances at all."

Yugi smiled. "Thanks for the tip," he said. "Good luck in the tournament, Weevil."

"Tch. Thanks, but I don't need luck," Weevil replied, snidely. "I'm going to see my room now." He said a farewell and gave us a wave before disappearing out the door, turning down the hall.

After he was gone, I released a sigh. "Gosh, he seemed nice," I said, with that same feeling to my words as before. I shrugged it off, thinking it was something from my past. Personally, I thought Weevil was a suspicious character. It had a lot to do with his smirk constantly being on his face. Maybe it was just a friendly smile that I took wrong, but it seemed sinister to me.

"Maybe," said Yugi. Did he agree? He could have had a lot on his mind as well. "but maybe not. After all, he did seem nice; talking to us like we were friends and giving us tips."

Was he? Although his expression seemed kind, his eyes held a sort of darkness, silhouetting his smirk or smile.

* * *

The moon was a beautiful white circle in the night sky. All the stars twinkled like little lanterns. The ocean water rolled swiftly into the side of the boat, rocking waves out toward the distance. The scene looked incredible as the moonlight sparkled on the dark ocean waters.

Finally, the boat had begun to move. Over time, as more distance was put in between the dock and the boat, the expanse of water all around us increased. The engines hummed under the floorboards and the propellers spun around extremely fast, splashing up water.

Yugi and I were outside on deck enjoying the fresh air wafting in from over the ocean. I was looking over the railing, the white metal cold under my arms. Yugi was at one of the deck tables, looking over his deck. My blue duffel was sitting under the table.

I inhaled a deep breath and felt my lungs grow wide and full of the cool air. A small, blissful smile played across my lips. It wasn't everyday I was able to feel this free and calm. Looking at water made me feel fresh and energetic, like I've just woken up from the best sleep.

It was still hard to believe how close I've gotten to the Pharaoh. Physically. Yugi was only five or so paces away from me, and the Millennium Puzzle which was hanging around his neck held the spirit of the Pharaoh. Of course it was happening. I kept thinking about how amazing it was to be reborn; to finally be able to taste, smell, hear, see, and touch all over again; like a second life time, but I had to focus on getting the job of being the Pharaoh's Guardian done. Being Guardian to a Pharaoh who didn't remember anything was going to be a challenge.

Where do I begin? This tournament should be my priority.

"So, Sarah, what do you specialize in?" asked Yugi with a smile. For a moment there, I thought he was talking about me being a Guardian. As in, what job I specialized in.

But then I saw him with his deck of cards and thought he must be asking me about what kind of cards I used. "Oh, you know," I said passively, lingering away from the railing to where he was at the table. I took a seat opposite from where he was standing.

Yugi raised a brow at me curiously. "Yes...?" he said, pressingly.

I gave him a tiny smile. "Why do you want to know, Yugi?" I said a little teasingly. "I thought getting to know each other's deck is a lot like cheating."

An embarrassed blush crept its way onto Yugi's cheeks. "I—I didn't mean to completely know your deck," he protested sheepishly.

"It's alright, I know what you mean," I said with another smile. "Well, as far as I can see for myself, my deck looks like a Different Dimension deck, based on the cards I saw in it." I thought that it was pretty cool. It explained my current form of life. From an Ancient Egyptian all the way to 5,000 years later. They seemed like different dimensions, so it fit nicely.

"Oh, that sounds cool," commented Yugi, shuffling his deck, like he was getting ready to duel. "Do you remember how to play? I thought we could, you know, practice dueling once before the tournament starts. What do you say?"

With a considerable nod, I said, "That sounds like a great idea. I think I need the practice." I brought out my deck from my thigh sheath and started shuffling it as well. As I moved the cards from one hand to the other it was like my fingers instinctively knew what to do. Like I've done it a billion times before. It felt so strangely familiar, I was beginning to think my hunches were correct.

Master Mahad must have cast a spell on my soul before I was trapped. That, come time, my soul was to split into two. One half would remain trapped in the Dungeon while the other could go out into the modern world and make me a name. That part of my soul took appearance of me (most likely dressed in modern day clothing) and, somehow, made me a "Dueling Legend" in the game of Duel Monsters. When I first saw the Regional Championship, I thought the way Weevil and Rex played looked familiar. My suspicions were confirmed when Pegasus and the Pharaoh and Yugi dueled.

Duel Monsters is the modern day version of the Shadow Games from Ancient Egypt.

That was why half my soul was sent; so it could become equipped with the knowledge of Duel Monsters, that way, by the time I was to be reborn, I would know how to handle Duel Monsters.

Duel Monsters and Shadow Games were alike, and they were both connected. In order for me to help the Pharaoh, I needed to know how both of them work.

Mentally, I sighed in awe, because now I _do_ know both of them. _Master __Mahad__... __you __have __certainly __thought __of __everything__..._

I placed the shuffled deck onto the table near to my right. Then, in one swift movement, I drew my hand of five cards. My fingers held them expertly in one hand.

"You seem like you know what you're doing so far," commented Yugi with a smirk, repeating what I did with his own deck.

Sheepishly, I shrugged. "It came... naturally, I suppose," I said. "When I held my deck of cards in my hands, it was like the rules to playing the game just slipped into my mind, as if I'd known them this whole entire time. It's... slightly strange, yet reassuring."

Yugi nodded, his round amethyst eyes shimmering with thought. "You must have a special bond with your cards," he said. "That's why you remember how to play."

Special bond? "Maybe," I said, momentarily glancing at the cards in my hand. A wave of warm affection washed over me. "I get the feeling I loved my cards. That I respected them a lot."

"I understand," said Yugi with a smile, taking a look at his own hand of cards. "I absolutely love my cards, too. Joey even commented one time that I respected them so much."

At the thought of the blond, I almost smiled. He seemed to be the funny guy of the group. "Joey seems to love getting into trouble," I said. "Is it normal for him?"

Yugi laughed kindheartedly. "He means well," he insisted. "but sometimes, he tries too hard and ends up getting himself in trouble."

"There's no doubt about that," I laughed. It didn't feel the same though. "And he does seem like the caring kind.

"I still can't believe you gave him one of your Star Chips! I haven't seen that kind of friendship in a while..."

Yugi's look became more thoughtful as he gazed at his cards. The small smile on his face told me he was remembering an old time, a happy moment; a memory he never wanted to let go. "He's a really close friend," he said to me, though his voice was quiet. "I couldn't let him be dragged away."

"That was very brave."

"Thanks... Have you seen it happen before?"

I smiled warmly at him, remembering a time back in Ancient Egypt. It seemed like it happened a while ago, and yet, more years than believed have actually gone by.

"Indeed, I have," I said, a faraway look suddenly in my eyes. "But it was a long time ago. I was curious now because it's been awhile since I've seen it. You must share a great bond with him."

Yugi's violet eyes travelled from me to his right hand, the hand sitting next to him on the table. It was like there was something important written on it that Yugi was gazing so strongly at. As though the ink to something—even though it washed away—still held dear in Yugi's heart. He stared at it, for a moment, so longingly that I wondered if I had said something wrong.

A smile danced upon his lips. "Not only him," he said. "but also with Téa and Tristan. We're really good friends."

My mind went hazy. "Is that so..." I said, thoughtfully.

Yugi smiled brightly. "Yup!" he said happily. "They're my best friends."

… Best friends... It's definitely been awhile since it's happened for me. I get all soft whenever someone mentions it.

"Do you... want to be our friend?"

I snapped out of my slight reverie and looked at him surprised. I was not expecting this.

"W-What?" I could barely get my voice any higher than a whisper. "Really?"

Yugi gave me one of his kind smiles. It was reassuring. "I asked you if you wanted to be our friend."

I couldn't believe it.

But, why was I so surprised in the first place? It was a way for me to stay next to the Pharaoh without any hesitation.

Maybe I took it as a shock because it's been so long since I've been friends with anyone. Ishizu was more like my caretaker and mum. Ever since the Pharaoh was trapped, I haven't had someone to call a friend.

Now, I was being given the opportunity to be friends with a nice group of people. Téa, Tristan, Joey and Yugi were all really kind. I'd be a fool and wasting my breath if I said no. Yugi was offering me something worth infinity itself.

I smiled truly for the first time since being reborn. It was the one I was so used to having at the time when my family was still around. Next to rare during the time after.

"I'd like that," I said. "... thank you."

It was then Yugi and I became a bit closer. Over the duel, we talked about various things; Yugi, about his life, and me, of what I could remember of being a duelist. I even added some random childhood memories with some friends. The more I played Duel Monsters with Yugi, the more I started playing like I knew what I was doing. The warm and excited sensation I received just by holding the cards brought back so many memories of past tournaments Modern Sarah participated in. Even Yugi noticed, commenting that all I needed was a friendly game of Duel Monsters.

It was fascinating; how complete strangers in one time could become really close friends in another.

"I attack your Warrior of Elements with Gaia the Fierce Knight, dropping your life points to zero!"

It was such a close match. Yugi and I were down to our last few hundred life points, and I thought I had him cornered this turn, but he turned the whole duel around. It was amazing and totally inspiring.

I put the rest of the cards in my hand down and sighed in awe. "That was close!"

Yugi smiled kindheartedly and put his cards down as well. "I'll have to admit; it was," he said. "No one's ever gotten that close to beating me before. It was a tough match."

I shrugged, a tiny sweat drop on the side of my head. "It could have been all luck," I suggested. "I mean, though I have been a good duelist before, I have amnesia now. I couldn't have known how to play this instantly."

"That's the thing, though," said Yugi. "You _did_ know how to play this instantly."

I blinked, clearly confused. "I don't understand..."

"Sarah, it has everything to do with the bond you share with your cards. You were so close to your deck that the minute you dueled me with it you immediately began remembering everything. You were dueling, therefore, it seemed only right for you to remember yourself dueling in America."

Yugi's words did make sense, and he was completely right. The minute I touched the deck of cards I possess, I instantly remembered things Modern Sarah had forgotten. Such an odd way to put things together... but it was completely worth all the trouble. These strange bits and pieces of events were just the building blocks to helping me with the modern world, like naming all the new technology on spot and figuring out the 'mystery' between the Shadow Games and Duel Monsters. Master Mahad must have been the one to produce the spell to make it all happen. He's certainly gone to the extreme here.

I nodded, feeling my heart race from the anxiety for a moment. "It makes sense!" I cried happily. "This is wonderful! I can remember basically everything now."

Yugi smiled. "Congratulations," he said. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"I have you to thank, Yugi," I said. "Without you... I wouldn't have recovered."

"What are friends for?"

Suddenly, Joey emerged from through the lobby door, finally done socializing with the other duelists. There was a triumphant smile on his face as he walked over to our table, holding something in his hands. The cool ocean breeze whisked past us, sending our hair and clothes to gently waver in the wind.

"Hey, you two," he greeted with his grin still as wide as ever. "Have you been dueling? Oh man! You guys should've called me! This was a duel I had to see!"

"You didn't miss much," I said. "Only Yugi defeating me intensely."

"And Sarah regained most of her memory," said Yugi. "So... yeah, you didn't miss much."

Joey gave us a look. One that said, "Are you kidding me?". "Really? Sarah regained her memory?" He looked at me appalled but smiled instantly. "That's great! Congrats! The duel between you and Yugi would have been epic, I'm sure."

I smiled up at him. "Thanks, Joey."

Yugi quirked an eyebrow at the blond. "What have you been doing, Joey? I was beginning to wonder where you were."

The blond began to grin all over again. "I just came out to show you something," he said, holding out his hands. "I've traded some of my cards! Check out the new ones."

In his hands, Joey held four Duel Monster cards. There was a monster and three magic and trap cards. They looked impressive.

Yugi read aloud the cards names, a hint of being impressed in his voice. "Salamandra, Kunai With Chain, Baby Dragon, and Shield and Sword. Wow, Joey. These are great cards. With these new magic cards combined with your monsters you'll have a really strong deck."

"Oh yeah!" cheered Joey excitedly, punching the air with his free fist. "I'm going to conquer this tournament!"

Yugi smiled. "Maybe," he laughed teasingly, earning him a glare just as playful but from Joey. "But you'll have to think strategically too."

"Yes, sir," murmured Joey with shifty eyes. It was funny to see the both of them act so frank with each other. They could easily pass as brothers.

Yugi searched through his backpack and pulled out a box, setting it carefully onto the table. "There's something in here," he said, opening the lid. "I know it can help..."

I couldn't believe my eyes. The golden box was the one that held the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. It was the same golden container with all the intricately carved hieroglyphs covering the sides, and the shining Millennium symbol gazing back at me.

"This is the box?" I asked, intrigued.

Yugi nodded with a smile. "Yup," he said. "This is it. The box where I found the Millennium Puzzle. Of course, when I first had it, the Puzzle was broken into pieces but... I fit them all together to form the Millennium Puzzle. Now, since the Puzzle is around my neck, I use it as a place to keep all my Duel Monster cards inside." Just to see the box again gave me more reassurance.

Yugi took from within the open box a Duel Monsters card. He held it out for Joey to take. "Here, add this to your deck," he said. Joey and I blinked curiously at the card. It was a monster in the shape of cute and colourful clock. "It can be helpful in a tight spot."

Joey took the card gratefully into his own hands. "Gosh, thanks," he said, smiling. "I can't believe how much you're always helping me out."

"More than you can count?" I asked. Joey nodded. "I know what you mean. Yugi is really amazing."

Joey grinned cheekily. "And what am I~" he asked.

I smiled. "You're amazing too," I said. Joey smirked.

"I thought you'd say that."

"What, you thought I was teasing?"

"... maybe..."

I rolled my eyes, though my expression held laughter. It has certainly been awhile since I've been informal with anyone. And it didn't come as easily. That is, not anymore.

Joey knew I meant well, though. I could tell by the warmth in his honey coloured eyes when he playfully ruffled my hair. The notion didn't bother me, but I felt a familiar sense of affection every time. Like how my parents or my brother used to ruffle my hair.

A familiar person suddenly appeared from around a corner. Weevil, still holding that smirk on his face, walked up to the three of us with his hands innocently hiding in his pockets. His strides were cool as his footsteps clicked across the wooden floorboards. Yugi and Joey smiled in greeting while I tried to do the same. My heart almost ached from the amount of uneasiness coursing through me.

"Ah, we meet again," said the bug duelist, his voice still as high pitched as ever. "Did you trade for any cards like your friend, Yugi?"

Yugi shook his head and laid a gentle hand on the golden Millennium Box. His deck was already safely back inside. I did the same with mine and returned it to my thigh sheath. "No. I'm going to stick with the deck I've already put together," he said.

"You're using the deck with Exodia in it, right? The deck you used to beat Seto Kaiba?" asked Weevil, intently.

_What __is __with __him__? __He __sure __loves __to __talk __about __cards__. __But __then __again__... __he __is __a __duelist __after __all__..._

_But __still__... __the __way __he __does __it __just __seems __a __bit__... __strange __to __me__._

Yugi nodded. "Yup," he said. "I wouldn't duel with any other cards. This deck means a lot to me."

"I've never actually seen all five cards for Exodia in one duelist's possession before," started Weevil. I swear to Ra I saw something flash across his eyes. "Could... I... possibly see those legendary cards?"

He sounded innocent. Way too innocent if you asked me.

"I don't see why not," said Yugi, opening the Millennium Box once more. He pulled from within it five cards with a piece of golden body on each. They looked extremely familiar to me; maybe from my dueling status in America.

He handed them over to Weevil. "Just be careful with them, okay?"

Weevil graciously took the cards into his hands, looking almost hungrily at them. Neither Yugi and Joey noticed what I was seeing. I hoped Yugi knew what he was doing. This Weevil guy did not look like someone we could trust.

"Hey... Yugi... did you notice how Weevil's been...?"

The other blinked. "I don't know what you mean..."

"I've been searching, for as long as I can remember, for a way to defeat this all powerful beast," said Weevil, still staring at the cards in awe. The smirk he was leading everyone to believe was a smile was even more lethal now, and I could see it without even trying. "I've tried so many strategies, but still no luck. No calculation I made ever came close. I couldn't find a way to beat it."

His eyes flashed behind his glasses, and his smirk looked malicious. Instantly, Joey, Yugi, and I knew something was wrong.

Weevil had something planned.

"... until now."

Before anyone could do anything, Weevil threw the cards over the side of the boat.

With horror, we looked over the railing, catching only a mild glimpse of the cards fluttering down and into the crushing water's depth.

"Say good-bye to Exodia!"

Joey clenched a fist and directed a venomous glare towards the bug duelist. "You jerk!" he yelled in outrage. "What the Hell was that for?"

Weevil walked away, chuckling to himself as though he's achieved something great. Yugi and I were still over the railing, gawking at the misfortune.

"Those were the Exodia cards my grandpa gave me!" cried Yugi. His eyes held heartbreak, because from what Yugi told me over our duel, his deck was given to him by Mr. Mutou. Something as precious as a gift like that thrown out to sea like this... It was horrible.

I couldn't process anything to say. It was such a terrible shock to see Weevil throwing Yugi's Exodia cards into the ocean, I couldn't get any words out of my mouth. The cards were gone. Lost to the rippling waves stories beneath us.

"Don't worry, Yugi," said Joey suddenly. "I'll get 'em for you..." Then he jumped over the railing, diving into the ocean below with a splash.

"Joey! No! They're not worth drowning over!" cried Yugi after his friend. Joey's head bobbed over the water as he struggled against the tough currents. We saw him reach out and grab something a couple times; Yugi's cards.

"Joey! Come back to the ship!" I managed to yell down to him. The currents the boat was churning up made the waters so rough, Joey was almost overcome by them at times. He disappeared for a moment, making both our hearts jump, before reappearing once again. Yugi and I had no time. We had to get Joey out of there or the water will swallow him.

_Maybe __I __can __slow __the __currents __down__._ I thought suddenly, referring to my magical abilities. The Elemental Spells. _At __least __I __can __let __Joey __swim __safely __instead __of __having __to __fight __the __currents__—_

Before I could do anything at all, Yugi acted much faster. "I'm going to help him," he said to me, and in a flash, he too was over the railing and diving a hundred feet into the dark water. My jaw fell.

Were these two mad? They could get themselves killed! Well, until I could get some help to them. I had to at least calm the currents down long enough for them to actually survive.

Yugi was now swimming over to his friend's side. Joey didn't move, he was exhausted from fighting off the waves. He was swept under the waves and Yugi dived after him. My heart wouldn't stop thumping anxiously against my rib cage. I only had a moment to sigh in slight relief when Yugi broke through the surface, with Joey in hand. Both teens' movements were becoming choppy and weak. The uneven water was throwing them off, costing them more of their energy just to stay above the water.

Thinking was only delaying my chances of helping. I pushed aside my thoughts and closed my eyes, so I could concentrate my energy into my magic. I felt my temples grow hot, and the strange feeling of pins and needles dominated the heat; a feeling I was so used to. I faintly mused if I still remembered how to do this.

With heat radiating throughout my body now and shooting my mental waves in my mind, I pictured the water—willing it—to become still. I imagined every moving particle within the mass of water around Yugi, Joey, and the boat to slow down. Each individual atom to slowly come to a stop. It didn't take very long—but I lost a lot of my energy; I almost became dizzy.

I opened my eyes, without losing concentration, and looked over the railing.

A pool of placid water around both boys began to appear. There was also a path of it leading to the boat. An invisible barrier surrounded the different water, so the rough waves don't interfere. All the waves that would have been pounding onto Joey and Yugi were now stopping at the barrier.

From up here, I could see Yugi looking curiously around him to see what had happened. I also saw that he looked a bit confused. Joey seemed near to unconsciousness. My sense of sight was keen.

I quickly looked around the deck, for any life preserver that could help me save them. The closest one was a few feet away. I quickly grabbed it and tossed it out towards the two so they wouldn't become suspicious about the difference in water and help them stay above water.

"Hold on, you two!" I shouted towards them, as Yugi reached for the life preserver. He helped Joey onto it too. Now they didn't have to kick so hard to stay on the surface. "I'll find a way to get you out!"

My head suddenly spun, and I grabbed for the railing, nearly doubling over with sickness crawling into my throat. I haven't used so much magic in nearly 5,000 years. I was still rusty. Using magic makes me use my strength. I got the feeling that if I had used an ounce or so more, I would have collapsed.

I looked around again. Maybe I could find a length of rope or... help or something. No one was out and there wasn't a piece of rope anywhere. I wobbled over to the doors, finding nothing near them. I turned around to the side.

I found people.

Not just ordinary people though.

Yugi's other two friends.

"Help us with this!" said Tristan, opening a glass box hanging from the wall. It was around the corner, hidden from sight. He pulled half a wood and rope ladder out with Téa's help.

Alright. Introductions later. Not that I minded.

I rushed over with what energy was left in me and grabbed a hold of another part of the rolled up ladder. Together, the three of us hauled the heavy ladder—it was a lot rolled up together. We brought it over to the railing, in time for Tristan to quickly tie it down, before Téa and I pushed off the other end, letting it unroll and fall down against the side of the boat. The end of it landed into the water with a splash.

"Yugi!" we shouted down in unison, grabbing the boy's attention. Called boy looks up with Joey still hanging onto him and the life preserver. He pulled the life preserver into the direction of the ladder, bringing Joey with him, through the path of calm water I was still holding in place. Speaking of it, I was beginning to see dots shining all over the place. The longer I kept my magic in use, the more energy it used.

"Swim back to the ship!" said Tristan. "We've got a ladder for you!"

Yugi complied and began swimming towards the slow moving ship, helping Joey in the process. The blond didn't seem responsive. He could have been way too tried and Yugi was close to the same stage. When Yugi finally grabbed hold of the ladder, both him and Joey climbed it back up with what little energy they had left in themselves.

Once their feet were out of the water, I quickly released the concentration on the calm water, instantly letting the harsh waves continue their assault onto the surface without having that barrier block their course. Immediately, the dizzying spots in my eyes from use of so much magic all at once disappeared. I was slowly regaining energy. We helped Yugi and Joey over the railing once they reached the top. They sat on the wooden floorboards, panting and trying to breathe; their hair and clothes dripping with water, making a pool of it around them.

Our racing hearts from such an event finally began to calm. I remembered the towels I packed into my duffel and quickly brought them out, giving one to Téa to help Yugi while I helped Joey with the other. Tristan returned the ladder into the glass box.

"What were you two thinking?" I scolded, drying Joey's face carefully. Téa did the same for Yugi. Their clothes clung to their bodies. I'm glad the towels came in handy, though they were originally for my showers if I could get any during the tournament.

Now that Joey was out of the water, he began to regain energy as well as Yugi and me. "I... I had to get Yugi's cards back," said Joey. As I was steadying myself with my hand on his cold shoulder, I lightly dabbed at the edges of his eyes, being careful. His answer didn't surprise me, even though I asked.

Yugi was in the same predicament. "And I was trying to help him stay above the water," he replied just as thickly.

Both boys tried looking out for each other.

Such a bond was between them.

I sighed, a lot like how a mother would if her child did something foolish. "You could have both drowned," I said, drying off Joey's hair as much as I could before draping it over his back. "You worried us."

"I'm sorry," said Joey. He clenched his hands, one of which was clutching two Duel Monsters cards. "I'm sorry, Yugi. I could only get two of your cards."

Yugi gave his friend a gentle smile, just as Téa was draping the towel over him. "It's okay, Joey—"

"It's not okay!" cried Joey. The exhaustion was getting to him. He was beginning to feel frustrated. "There was a chance for me to help you and I failed! I'm so useless. I can't help anyone at all! Not even my own little sister..."

Everyone's heads perked up at this new information. "Really, Joey? You have a sister?" asked Téa.

Joey bowed his head, and though his expression was hidden from everyone else, I could see pain in his honey coloured eyes from my kneeling position beside him. "Ever since our parents got divorced, my sister, Serenity, went to live with my mom while I stayed back here with my dad. She's had really bad eyes since she was young and the doctors said she'll eventually go blind. She sent me a message that the time has come.

"But there are specialists that can perform a surgery and fix her eyesight. The money to get the operation, though, is high."

Tears rolled down the side of his face, causing my heart to suddenly ache at the sight. "That's why I got so impressed by the three million dollars. My sister has only me to count on for this surgery now, and that money will help her! I'm going to win the prize money from the tournament for her!"

"You came here to help Yugi, though," said Tristan confused. "Not that it's a bad thing, but..."

"I came for that reason first," said Joey, salty rivers still running endlessly down his cheeks. Though he looked like he wept, his voice was determined and strong. "I wanted to be there for Yugi. But now, there's a way for me to help my sister—and I was even more determined to go into the tournament!"

Everyone knew what was going on, and yet, no one felt only sympathy. Hope was in their expressions.

"We'll do it together," said Yugi with a kind smile. "We'll enter the tournament together and rescue both my grandpa and your sister."

"All of us," said Téa encouragingly. "We'll all do it together. That's why Tristan and I tagged along. You didn't think we'd let you guys go alone, did you?"

The horizon brightened and the sun began its slow ascend into the sky. The night sky turned into a brilliant blue and the ocean seemed much nicer, though it had swallowed three of Yugi's Exodia cards, almost him and Joey themselves. The boat kept cruising along, continuing to travel to its destination. Soon, through the morning, we saw an island rising up from the horizon. It was huge and there were many different things to see.

Yugi and Joey held a great bond with their friends. They cared enough for each other to dive into the ocean to save the other's cards. Now, they were saying they would enter this tournament together, with Tristan and Téa right by their sides, so they could fight the same battle.

Serenity, the news of Joey's little sister, surprised us all. But with new determination, everyone stood tall.

"We'll win, Joey," said Yugi. "We'll both keep fighting. You for your sister, and me for my grandpa."

"Together," I repeated quietly, remembering old times. I smiled at the thought. "All of us. As a team."

_Like_ we _used __to__..._

Their friendship and bond reminded me of my friendship with a certain Pharaoh. Our time as just friends. Close ones. I couldn't dwell on the thought though. It was bad enough I lost my family and then my closest friend.

Duelist Kingdom? We're ready to face you.

Together.

* * *

**Author****'****s ****Note****:** Whooo! And that's a wrap for the intros. Now it gets serious. Ready to face Duelist Kingdom yourselves? Well, let's go on the journey together.

I sounded like one of them cheesy kids cartoons from years back. :/ x'D

I hope you liked this one! Personally, I think it's WAY better than my other chapter for this part of the story. -.-# -eye twitch- Those chapters are really bothering me now. X'D But I shall fix them soon! ^^'

Thank you so much for reading! Drop a message to let me know how I did if you can't review on this new chapter. I hate that rule but, okay. We have to live with it. ^^'

Thanks again! ^^ Oh, wanna add me in something? For updates? Check my profile and look under "Contacts". ^^ Message me first to let me know who you are first, though. Thanks so much! ^^

Facebook page! Look for faster updates there: Yu-Gi-Oh! Past Repeating - a Fan Fiction by xyugiogluvrx

Thanks. :)


	7. Duelist Kingdom Island

**Rewritten: (06/04/13)**

**Author's Note: **Hey there everyone! ^^ I rewrote this chapter! Hope you like it!

And if you are re-reading this chapter, you will notice an interesting change to one person's personality. I'm trying to clean up the whole story so that's why he's a bit different than what I portrayed him as before. x3 I hope it works out much better!

After the boat docks, introductions are exchanged and a test is given. A familiarity is met with again. Sarah and the gang start the tournament with an open mind. Yugi already knows one person he's going to go after for a duel, and that's Weevil. Will he get his chance to get vengeance for his Exodia cards? Or will he be sent home on his first duel? You'll have to read to find out.

**Disclaimer!: **Fanfiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Chapter 6**

Before us was a beautiful island as big as a city. From the boat we could see an enormous and elaborate limestone castle sitting grandly in the middle of trees and different land types. There was a miniature desert on one side, a few meadows here and there, and an ocean all around—there were so many land types that the island could be mistaken for a mini-Earth. It was colourful and beyond my expectations.

But one thing made it all wrong.

Pegasus... the man who stole Mr. Mutou's soul... was somewhere on that island. And we were here to confront him.

In the bright morning sun, Joey and Yugi managed to dry off. I stuffed the towels they were using back into my duffel bag and zipped it up, fixing the long strap over my shoulder. Thoughts were already roaming my mind, and it was only the boat ride to the tournament.

What Weevil did, throwing Yugi's Exodia cards into the ocean, was so cowardice and evil... I couldn't believe how much he was willing to do just to make sure that he came out on top! And I thought _he_ was evil...

I shook my head to clear it from thoughts of... him. Now wasn't the time nor the situation. But sometimes, I couldn't help it.

Even Joey brought something unexpected: News that he had a little sister named Serenity. His parents had divorced seven years ago which caused the separation between them. My heart reached out for them. I couldn't imagine what both siblings must have gone through. Joey came to help Yugi in the tournament because it was what friends do. Now, he had another reason to fight; for his sister. He was even more determined with this tournament now.

It was only the boat ride and already a whole lot of unexplainable things occurred. Yugi had his mind set on going after Weevil, I could tell by the sheer vengeance in his amethyst eyes. Joey was going to dive head on into this tournament. He was going to fight with Yugi to win back his grandfather's soul and the prize money for his sister's eye operation.

The end was still quite a ways away, and yet, I couldn't help but think about the outcome. If both Joey and Yugi make it...

I shouldn't think of any of it. Not now. At the moment, I should be helping them as best as I could. After all, I was to be wherever the Pharaoh went. I was glad that Yugi asked if I could join their group for the tournament. Even though we had just met, he was still very nice.

And what a surprise that Téa and Tristan could join us. They explained that they stowed away in one of the loaded crates. Then when they saw Joey and Yugi dive over the railing, they burst from out of their hiding place behind the cabins to help me find a way to bring them back on board.

"You looked disoriented," commented Téa, looking my way. She was referring to the time when I doubled over and almost got sick. Both she and Tristan had noticed. "Are you all right now?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine now. Er... thank you for showing up. I don't know what I could have done to help. All of a sudden, when they jumped over the railing, I couldn't understand what to do. I didn't see the ladder from where I was standing."

Tristan waved it off. "Those crew members don't know how to screw their heads on properly," he commented. "They keep the important stuff hidden in the dark for who-knows-what reason. Throwing the life preserver was a good idea though, so at least the guys were floating above the water with help. Don't be too hard on yourself if that's what you're worrying about. We came to help too."

"What matters is that everyone is safe," agreed Téa.

I nodded. "Right."

"It's nothing," said Joey. It was nearly a life and death situation, but instead of trying to live in the past, and wonder about what could have happened, this group of extraordinary people were grateful for their safety. There weren't a lot who would do the same.

"In the back of my mind, I knew Téa and Tristan would come to our rescue."

"We're super people," stated Tristan with a grin. "We knew you guys needed help so we flew all the way here on our magical flying carpets."

Téa cast them a playful glare. "We wanted to watch Yugi duel," she said. "and cheer him on. We weren't going to let you two go in alone."

"Thanks guys," said Yugi with a smile. "You're awesome."

Joey grinned broadly. "Yup," he said, boastfully.

"Says the person who dived into the water first," said Tristan with a smirk. Joey glared.

I managed a small, thoughtful smile. They were so comfortable around each other, and here I was feeling completely out of the circle. Indeed, I was different because of my background and current state, but I couldn't find the feeling to be the same as everyone else. They were smiling and laughing as friends would, something I haven't done in a long while. Sure I've smiled and laughed just a little bit over the past few days along with them, but my signs of happiness weren't as full of life as they used to be.

That is... until Yugi asked me to be a friend.

Was it an act of kindness? Or did he know my intentions? No... I know that he doesn't know about who I really am. Maybe he was just trying to be nice to the new girl at school...

Either way, when I looked at him now, I didn't see him as just a modern day boy who happened to have the Millennium Puzzle. I saw a person who solved it with all his being—determined to complete it for whatever reasons he might have had. No ordinary person could have solved it. The Millennium Puzzle was so complex with each of its intricately shaped pieces that fit into a specific place.

That should mean that he was different as well, and because he was the Pharaoh's host, I was sure that the two will become quite close.

Another thing that I noticed when I looked at him was just how kind he was. He was willing to befriend someone he just met. I was grateful that he brought me under his wing, because travelling in this modern world alone would have been lonely and cold.

I never noticed that my eyes were on him for a few minutes too long until I met his own gaze, causing me to look away. Muto

"Hey, what do you guys think of Sarah joining the group?" Yugi's question made me turn to him once more, this time questioningly rather than thoughtfully. The gang blinked at Yugi's sudden question as well. Would they think that it was a good idea? Or would they think that it was bad?

I haven't had someone to call a friend for 5,000 years and the only friend I did have before being trapped in the Dungeons was sealed away into the Millennium Puzzle, thought to be without any of his memories. So... how would this go?

"Er... we've only known her for a week..." said Joey thoughtfully, with his chin in hand. He studied me carefully. Téa and Tristan glanced at each other.

What could I be feeling? I was hopeful, because it would be really nice if I could be friends with this group of amazing people. They were willing to do anything for each other and it was that kind of bond that reminded me of the Pharaoh and me back in Ancient Egypt. I guess I was hopeful because I wanted that same bond again. The Pharaoh was without his memories, so he wouldn't know anything about me.

It was just like the time I lost my family. A part of my heart no longer existed because my friend was also taken away by Fate.

I was willing to only be friends with the Pharaoh again, if Fate allowed it. Yugi, Téa, Joey, and Tristan were all so caring of each other. They were so admirable.

But who knew what they thought about the idea? So instead of making them uncomfortable in any way, I decided to say something. "Please disregard the thought," I said, even though it was tearing apart the only chance I had of getting close to the Pharaoh's host. "Joey is right, it's too sudden. I don't want to impose..."

"Oh, but Sarah... that's how friends are made," said Téa with a kind smile. "Total strangers meet each other, find something in common, and if they're comfortable with each other, then they become friends in no time."

I faltered. "Would you really accept me this quickly, though?"

"We'll give you a try," said Tristan with a small wink. "You can stick with us for a while and we'll see if you can be 'accepted'."

Joey pondered the thought. "I guess we can do it that way," he said. Then he turned to Téa and Yugi. "What do you guys think? Should we give Sarah Wind—"The Dueling Legend"—a test to being our friend?"

Téa smiled. "I think it would be awesome if there was another girl in the group," she said.

Yugi gazed at me thoughtfully, his kind amethyst eyes now holding a sense of mystery, as if he was trying to figure something out... I didn't understand. Did he disapprove?

"I think it'll be a great idea, too," he said instead of what I thought. He must be thinking about something else. "Sarah, you seem really nice. It would be cool if you became a part of our group. But if you think that you should be tested first, then tested you should be."

Everyone's inviting smiles comforted me. A test, hm? It would certainly account for us being strangers. We could become closer without having to worry about boundaries of any sort. We would be given the chance to get to know each other better. And in the end, if we were comfortable around each other, we could become friends.

It was exciting to see where this would go, but I couldn't help hoping that it will be for the best. I wasn't about to disagree with this plan. "Alright," I said finally. A small smile formed across my lips. "Sounds like a plan. I'm in."

Joey, Tristan, Téa, and Yugi returned my smile.

"Awesome! This is going to be so much fun," grinned Joey. "Someone else to be our friend. Yay~"

"You sound like a little kid who just got his favourite candy from the store," commented Tristan with a small smirk. Joey blushed lightly.

Téa smiled teasingly. "Wow, Joey. Who would have guessed you'd be so eager about another girl being in the group? And I thought it was just me." Joey blushed even more, stumbling over words to counter their teasing.

"Guys, the crew is getting ready to dock," said Yugi, saving his friend from the others, though he also held a smile on his face. I blinked curiously at the bunch, confused about what they were talking about. It didn't cross me as something familiar.

Forcing away the pink streaks on his cheeks, Joey smiled. "Great! Because I was getting a little sea sick."

"We can tell just by the look on your face."

Joey went over to clobber Tristan, but the security guards and crew members began ushering all the duelists to one side of the boat. The ship's horn rung loudly, sounding for miles, just as the boat was set at dock. It slowed to a stop right on spot and all the duelists readied themselves as they were let off, stepping onto the island, ready for the tournament.

We were nearing the edge of the ramp when Tristan suddenly jumped.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked him, blinking curiously.

With a nervous gulp, the brunette turned to face Téa who returned his nervous gaze with a blink.

"What if they find out we're stowaways?" he asked her. "We should just swim back while we have the chance..."

Téa gave her friend a slight glare. "We're in the middle of nowhere, lame-brain. If you could just act _normal_, we'll be okay."

I braced the strap of my duffel bag over my shoulder and followed them off the ramp leading onto the island's ground. It was hard packed soil with grass creating a path towards the castle stairs—which went on forever sky high.

Tristan came down from the ship right after me, thinking that delaying his turn off the ramp would give him a better chance of acting any less suspicious than he already was. He was walking stiffly, as though that would help any. All it did was catch a crew member's attention.

"Hey, you there!"

The gang was already off the ramp with me just on the edge of it when we came to a stop at his call. Tristan had stopped abruptly and was already turning a pale colour, but the sailor didn't seem angry.

The man smiled at him warmly. He didn't throw Tristan overboard, or do anything to make him or Téa feel unwelcome. "There's no need to be all nervous," he told the sweating brunette. "You're our guest! Feel welcome!"

Tristan swallowed back his sigh of relief to keep the charade going. "Th-That's right!" The brunette whirled around to face him and bowed. "I'm your guest!" Without another word, Tristan walked briskly away, meeting us at the bottom of the ramp. We walked a little more ways away from the crew members to watch Tristan double over and pant from the stress.

"Way to keep your cool, Tristan," said Téa. "That wasn't suspicious at all."

Tristan placed a hand on his chest, his heart was beating rapidly, and straightened his back. "I nearly had a heart attack,' he sighed, glad that it was over. He couldn't stand the thought of being caught and having to be shipped back.

"It looks like your determination to be here with Yugi and Joey has won over the rule of only duelists being allowed here," I said encouragingly. Truthfully, I found it amazing.

Yugi, Joey, Téa, and Tristan all smiled at one another. Right then, I could see what they all had in common, their smiles were true. They were really bonded with one another.

I smiled as well.

We took in the sight of the island before us. A deep breath of the fresh air replenished our lungs. The swift breeze coursed through us. The air smelled sweet. Some birds flew by and disappeared into the trees far away.

Joey celebrated our arrival with a punch to the air. "Alright!" he said with a wide grin. "Everyone made it here safe and sound- " Suddenly, he sneezed. Téa and I jumped.

"Bless you," said Tristan with a slight blink. I handed Joey a handkerchief from the side pocket of my duffel bag.

"Are you alright, Joey?" Téa asked.

The blond shrugged it off, used the handkerchief, and pocketed it in case he needed it again. "Yeah," he said. "Just a little cold. It'll blow over."

Though Yugi and Joey had dried off from their little swim last night, the cold temperature stayed with Joey. It had happened during the night too, so it made the water colder than how it would have been during the day. Now Joey was beginning to get sick.

Yugi looked at his friend apologetically. "You wouldn't have caught the cold if it hadn't been for Weevil," he said solemnly. To think, Weevil acted like such a nice guy - up until he tossed Yugi's Exodia cards into the ocean.

"I can't believe he would do something like that," said Téa, disbelief in her voice. She shook her head. "What a creep."

"And the only reason why he did that was so no one was stronger than him," said Joey with a disgusted look on his face. "He's a creep _and _a coward."

"It certainly is abhorrent that Weevil would stoop so low simply to make himself appear much stronger even if it means destroying somebody else's deck," I said. "But if Yugi and Weevil were to duel, Yugi would still defeat Weevil because of his great skill."

Everyone stared at me strangely. Had I said something wrong?

Tristan held his head. "Ah... big words..."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very formal?" said Téa with a blink.

I returned her blink with one of my own. "No..."

Joey waved his hand dismissively. "She probably grew into it," he said. Then he placed his arm around Yugi's shoulders in a playful manner. "What matters is her point. Yugi definitely has the ability and skill to beat that Weevil - even without his Exodia cards."

Yugi smiled despite the circumstances, touched by his friend's words. "Guys..."

"Speaking of which..." said Téa, curiously scanning the crowded dock from a distance. "I have a _real_ good feeling that Yugi will win against him."

Tristan joined the search and looked over the tops of passing heads as more of the duelists boarded off the massive ship. "Where is that little worm, anyway?"

I noticed a familiar haircut of a blue beetle a few handfuls of duelists away. He had the exact same smirk on his face that he wore from last night during his little facade. I caught Tristan's eye and tilted my head in his direction. The brunette looked up.

"Man, I want to wipe that smirk off his face..." Tristan said with an intense glare.

Yugi nodded, his usually round amethyst eyes now narrowed slightly in anger at the sight of the bug duelist. "Yeah, me too," he admitted with the same bit of annoyance in his voice. "But I don't have time right now. I have to save grandpa."

As soon as all the duelists were finally off the boat, one of the guards made an announcement to tell us where we needed to go next. We only just got here and we didn't know the entirety of the tournament. The shades over his eyes, like all the other guards, concealed most of his identity.

"Duelists!" he said, and all heads turned towards him, the chattering ceased. With a sweep of his hand, he gestured to the beautiful limestone castle standing mightily up high. A mountain of stairs led to it. "Your host is waiting for you at the top! Please make your way through!"

There wasn't any rush. Many were still recovering from ship-lag and the men in suits hadn't said anything about hurrying. Slowly, in small groups of three of five, the duelists walked up the stairs at a steady pace. We took our time as well, taking in the beautiful sights of the coast and the different types of lands we could see halfway up the stairway. It was breathtaking, and to think we wouldn't have come here if Pegasus hadn't kidnapped Yugi's grandfather.

Pegasus was the host of this tournament. He was the one we were going to meet at the top of the stairs. He was the one who took us to the Shadow Realm and stole Mr. Mutou's soul. We had to get him back. And Pegasus used the Millennium Eye to do the crime. I only just arrived in Japan, found Yugi, and already the Shadow Games were being put to work against us. The Pharaoh already has a threat against him. I bet Yugi has a few questions brewing in his mind now after the whole mess...

I quietly sighed. Already, I could feel a pile of tasks towering on my shoulders, ready to teeter me off balance and into the pit of stress. It wasn't that bad of a stress. Usually it consisted of rapid thought processing, strategies, sometimes even overthinking, magic sources and uses, and combat skills. Now that the Pharaoh and I were living in a new era, things were going to be a bit more complicated.

What puzzled me the most at the moment was the fact that ever since Mr. Mutou's soul was taken, one question hasn't been answered: Why did Pegasus do it? People took others as hostage for wealth or power; to get what they wanted. Did Pegasus have the same intentions? But what could Yugi have that Pegasus would want?

All I knew was that whenever the Pharaoh had business, I had business as well. And right this moment, I had a feeling that Pegasus, because he had the Millennium Eye, would play an important part in the Pharaoh's rebirth. Anyone who had a Millennium Item will. It was odd to think an object could control a part of a person's destiny.

"Hey, I just saw Bakura," said Téa suddenly, stopping to get a good look at the forest to our left. Her ocean blue eyes shimmered questioningly as she cast them over the tree trunks. We halted as well.

Yugi, Joey, and Tristan exchanged glances. "Again?" asked Tristan.

"You mean you've seen him before?" asked Yugi next.

Téa nodded. "Yeah, on the boat," she said. "That's twice I've seen him now, but he's not there anymore." Then she blinked, trying to wonder if what she really saw was even true.

"Maybe it's all in my head."

"That's weird," said Joey as we started climbing again. "Why would he be here?"

"Maybe he's here for the tournament," suggested Yugi, falling into step with me.

Joey shrugged. "Maybe," he agreed. "I didn't know he could duel. We'll have to see if we get a chance to meet him."

When we finally reached the top of the stares, my heartbeat somehow seemed louder to me. It was because of the warning my Locket was giving off. It started glowing dimly beneath the collar of my shirt when Téa said "Bakura"...

My Locket glowed because of what it sensed. A familiarity; a dark aura I've apprehended before in Ancient Egypt.

But... that couldn't be... What the Pharaoh and I were reborn to take care of... will we have to deal with it so soon? We've only just been released and the Pharaoh doesn't even know I'm his Guardian yet, let alone has he recovered any of his memories. How are we supposed to defeat the that was supposed to come back?

Would this... Bakura... have anything to do with -

Suddenly, I felt the blood drain from my face, and the anxiety left my heart beating a terrifying pace. An abrupt fear washed over me, but the fear wasn't what threw me off balance.

It was the name.

... Bakura...

Maybe I heard Téa wrong. Maybe she meant another name and I simply misheard.

The duty of a Guardian was to Guard. From everything - including the most dangerous and crazy thief known in a kingdom. Guardians had no time to be scared.

I wasn't trembling from the supposed "Bakura". He was someone I never feared. I loathed him. Something else entirely was chilling me to the bone.

The Pharaoh didn't know anything about him anymore. If he knew nothing, how will he be able to fight back? I'd be there to Guard him, but in order to rid the evil once and for all, the world would need the Pharaoh's help. His bravery and courage would destroy the evil, but without his memory...

Hopefully, I didn't hear that right... It's much too early and we've only just been reborn...

Mistake or not, I should stay on my guard at all times. Who knew?

As everyone gathered in the courtyard, I regained my bearings just in time to see that the security men have caught up to our climb and were now standing some odd feet away from the entire group of duelists. The air was full of excitement. The long boat trip was over and the duels were finally going to start.

"Hey, that's Weevil Underwood, the Regional Champion," one of the duelists acknowledged in awe. From the way he said it to his friends, he made it seem as though Weevil wasn't a bad guy. But we knew better. I looked at the bug duelist from the corner of my eye. As I thought, he was smirking proudly.

One of the admirer's friends pointed someone else out. "And that's the runner-up from the same tournament; Rex Raptor!"

"Wow, all the best duelists," said a third with an awed sigh. "But where's the World Champion, Kaiba? Wasn't he supposed to be here for this tournament too?"

"Didn't you hear? He was beaten on his own turf by someone."

"No way! I thought Kaiba was the best!"

"Not anymore. Yugi's the one to beat now."

Overhearing the conversation, Joey gives Yugi a nudge. He had a proud smile on his face while Yugi sheepishly smiled back.

Yugi was beginning to become quite popular, and apparently it was all because of something that had happened between him and someone named "Kaiba".

I've heard something about him a few times now and I still don't know the full story.

Ah well, if he doesn't play a part in the Pharaoh's rebirth, then I don't have to focus on him so much.

One of the guards began to clear his throat after situating himself in front of the group. He stood authoritatively, gaining everyone's attention instantly.

"Welcome to the tournament, everyone," he greeted. Though his voice was naturally gruff and strict, he tried to make it sound kind and inviting. "Now, presenting your host. He's the creator of Duel Monsters and President of Industrial Illusions. Introducing - Maximillion Pegasus!"

Emerging from the castle's balcony doors, dressed in a red suit and ruffled shirt, was Pegasus. Half his face was curtained by long, silvery hair to conceal the Millennium Eye. We could see his tiny smirk from all the way back here.

The crowd roared at the sight of the celebrity. Yugi, his friends, and I kept our calm. Once Pegasus began to speak speak the crowd remained quiet in order to listen to what the CEO had to say.

My Millennium Locket glowed again, warmth seeping through the skin of my collar. It was telling me that another Millennium Item was nearby which reminded me of the moment Pegasus stole Mr. Mutou's soul. My fists clenched by my side in sudden fury.

"Pegasus..." I heard my mutter echo and realized that Yugi had done the same thing. We exchanged glances.

"If I could just have five minutes alone with that guy..." Joey growled. Seeing the man we loathed made us resent him even more. I felt like jumping onto the balcony and attacking him. Even though the Pharaoh wasn't being threatened directly, I despise the fact that people blackmail each other.

I was bothered by this man because of how ruthlessly he took Mr. Mutou's soul. The Millennium items were created to help mankind - not to use them against one another. How Pegasus got his hands on one, I have no idea. I'll figure everything out, I'm sure. I won't have him tarnish the true meaning of the Millennium Items.

I wonder what his plans for luring Yugi into the tournament were...

With a welcoming smile on his face, which we could tell was most likely fake, Pegasus began his greeting. "Welcome to Duelist Kingdom!" he said. "You are the world's greatest duelists, but come the end of the tournament, only one of you will be crowned King of Games, so you must assemble your decks with care. I will now explain the rules. All duels will be played with Duel Monsters cards, of course. Life points will begin at 2000, and direct attacks against the players are forbidden. To track your progress in the tournament, you've each been given a dueling glove and two Star Chips. You must wager Star Chips on each duel you compete in, and use your dueling glove to collect the Star Chips. Whoever wins ten Star Chips will be allowed to enter the castle for the finals, and the chance to face me in a duel."

The crowd was riled up but I could see the look on Yugi's face. It was of absolute determination. "My grandpa's gotta be in that castle..." I heard him say. "But there's no way we can get in with all these guards around. So that leaves us with winning enough Star Chips to gain entry."

"We can do it," I said. He nodded.

"State-of-the-art duel arenas cover the island, and new rules will be in effect which you will discover as you play. So play boldly!" Pegasus admonishes. "Think strategically and duel mercilessly. You have one hour to prepare. Fireworks will mark the beginning of the tournament. Let the best duelists win!"

The duelists cheered as the host disappeared back into the castle. They began to disperse, getting ready for the tournament that was about to start. I couldn't help feeling just a little bit nervous. I haven't dueled in a tournament for a long time. Nonetheless, I gazed at the castle with certainty. We were only ten Star Chips away from going inside and rescuing Mr. Mutou.

"Let's go over to the meadow," said Joey. "We can get a clear view."

Téa nodded. "Good idea."

I was about to follow them down the stairs when something caught my eye. It was a familiar flicker of orange colour. I quickly looked over.

It was the same boy from the boat. I felt dizzy.

Why... Why does he seem so known to me...

He was talking to his friends, completely unaware of how he was making me feel. A gut feeling, deep down, told me that I've met him before. The more I tried to remember about him, the more my amnesia wouldn't let me. My head began to throb.

As soon as he stopped talking with his friends, he turned around to lead them away in search of opponents to duel. One of his friends had jet black hair with the brightest green eyes I've ever seen. The other had a light brown colour for their hair and hazel eyes. All three of them wore casual outfits of hoodies and jeans. They also had their own backpack over their shoulders. I didn't recognize the other two boys, the one with the orange hair was the only boy I thought I've seen before. Now I was sure I've seen him somewhere.

His deep maroon eyes caught my scarlet ones once again. He looked at me for a moment and then gave me a small, reassuring smile.

That one motion sent a strange chill up my spine.

Though I didn't know him, he definitely knew me.

The boy with the black hair blinked towards him. Then he followed his gaze and his eyes widened. "Hey... isn't that..."

"Go talk to her," said the one with brown hair. "Come on, man. We know you want to..."

The boy with the orange hair slowly shook his head. "Not right now," he said. "Let her go."

His friends merely looked at each other and shrugged, gave me one last glance, and turned to walk away. The one left behind regarded me one more time before following after them.

I blinked at them as they left. Then I rubbed my eyes.

They definitely knew who I was.

But it was a shame that I didn't know who they were.

I heard someone call my name and realized Yugi and his friends were waiting for me. Quickly, I regained my bearings and ran after them. My duffel bag bounced precariously off my hip.

* * *

"Hey, Sarah, where have you been? We thought we lost you already."

"I'm sorry, Joey, I was... caught up in something."

"Are you nervous about the tournament?" asked Tristan.

I nodded but looked down. "There's something else... this boy keeps giving me weird feelings... Would any of you happen know who I've been in contact with before I had amnesia?"

Everyone shook their heads. "You mostly kept to yourself," said Yugi. "But you were still nice to everyone. I don't recall you having a boyfriend either... or a group of friends to call your own. You made it seem as though everyone you met was your friend."

"I see..."

Joey suddenly turned to me with a serious look on his face. I blinked.

"Was the guy you were talking about giving you a hard time?"

I grew confused at this question. "No... he just seemed as though I've met him before. He certainly knew me from the way he looked back."

Joey grew calm. Téa asked, "Didn't he say anything?"

I shook my head. "He didn't... explain anything..."

Tristan waved it off with his hand. "You're regaining your memory bit by bit. I'm sure he'll know about your situation. If he really does know you, then he'll come back."

That seemed to make me feel better. "Alright... thanks. But... being nervous about the tournament wasn't wrong either..."

"I know what you mean," said Joey with a sigh. "This tournament is gonna be tough."

"See, this is why you'll have to stay clear of the more experienced duelists at first," said Téa. "You just started playing Duel Monsters, after all."

Joey gazed at the palm of his hand on which sat the Star Chip Yugi had given him before boarding the boat. It twinkled beneath the morning light. "I might be too weak," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I put you at a disadvantage, Yugi. You should take this Star Chip back."

"Nah, you keep it," said Yugi with a kind smile. "Your little sister is counting on you."

"I didn't mean you weren't capable of playing," said Téa with a mild blink. "I meant for you to be careful. You can do it."

Tristan nodded. "That's right," he said. "It's just a matter of working your way up."

Joey looked at the Star Chip once more. Then he clenched his fingers tightly around it. "Alright, guys," he said. "I'll get the hang of this."

Téa patted her friend on the shoulder. "That's the Joey we know."

We reached the meadow after our long trip down the stairs and long pathway. Lush green grass stretched on next to the coast with the forest right next to us. The duelists were scattered all over the island checking over their decks one final time before the tournament officially started. A lot of them were exploring the different landscapes the island had to offer.

We wandered around the meadows, taking in the fresh air and looking over the ocean. When the hour was finally up, fireworks exploded in the sky into a million different colours. We looked up at the spectacle in awe. The Duelist Kingdom Tournament has finally begun.

"Alright!" said Joey as he punched the air enthusiastically. Determination was set in his honey coloured eyes. "Ready to do this, Yugi? Sarah?"

The same conviction lied within Yugi's eyes. "Yeah, I'm ready."

I nodded as well. "Let's do it."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes! Another chapter that's been rewritten! :D I am so stoked. I'm gettin' somewhere. x3

I really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I find this chapter SO much better than the old one. And hopefully, the other chapters can be replaced soon too.

Thank you for reading! ^^

Reviews and messages are appreciated. :)

_Duelist Kingdom... Pegasus... we're coming for you..._


	8. A Duel With the Devil

**Author's Note:** Well, here's chapter 7. Hope you like it. Careful for some lanuage. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 7**

You froze in your tracks and turned your head to look behind you, "Uh guys?"

Everyone blinked at you, "What is it Sarah?"

You pointed to a shadow you saw in the forest part of the island, "Do you see who I see?"

Yugi looked confused, along with the rest of the group but saw what you were looking at. "It's Weevil!" Tristan cried pointing towards him.

Everyone gasped as Yugi took a step forward and pointed towards him, "Weevil? We have a score to settle!"

The guy snickered and ran deeper into the woods. You snarled, "That ass! He's running!"

Yugi followed him with you right behind him. The gang looked to each other and blinked, "Hey wait up!"

You and Yugi ran deeper and deeper into the trees. To you, it felt like a trap. 'I have a bad feeling he's using something to his advantage.'

There was a clearing, and Weevil stopped. Yugi stood a few yards behind him and yelled, "Weevil! I challenge you to a duel!"

Weevil chuckled and raised his hands towards the sky, "As you wish!"

The gang caught up with you guys just in time for a dueling arena to come out from the ground. You eyes widened, along with the whole groups'. Tristan said in awe, "So that's how everyone's gonna duel..."

Yugi stepped onto the dueling platform as you held your breath. You watched as a glow engulfed your mind for the slightest second. Your locket gave off a glow too, 'He's...here.'

"Since you only have one star chip, I just have to put one of mine against you." Weevil said, as he took one chip off his glove.

Yugi shook his head. You can see his suddenly different features and when he spoke you can feel your cheeks get hot for no apparent reason. His hair contained more gold bangs and his eyes just got a piercing crimson colour in them. "No Weevil! This is an all or nothing duel!"

Weevil's eyes widened, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Yugi held up his deck, "Because if I lose, not only will you get my one star chip, but you'll also get my deck!"

Everyone gave out a gasp in shock. You could see in his eyes the risk he knew he was taking. You held your hands in front of you, trying to read his expressions a little harder, or just trying to take all his features in. ^^

Weevil was stunned for a second, "Ooh...that'll be cool having the deck that beat Kaiba. You got a deal!"

You had to say it, "Oh Yugi, I hope you know what you're doing."

He turned his eyes to you and you noticed something different; the crimson was so full of determination.

'I found him at last...'

~FF TO MIDDLE OF DUEL~

"Because of my Mirror Force trap card, your army's attack is reflected right back at you!" Yugi said as rays of light exploded all around Weevil's monsters.

"No! Ugh, this can't be happening! You'll pay for that! I have an even stronger strategy that will surely beat you now!" Yugi only took the info in. He looked a little worried but he didn't exactly want to show it either.

Weevil summons a Larva Moth, and then adds Cocoon of Revolution. "In five turns, this tiny little larva will turn into the Ultimate Great Moth! And THEN we will see how strong you really are at this game Yugi!" He chuckles menacingly as you held your hands back, 'You can do this...there's gotta be a way around his moth.'

~FF TO THE END OF DUEL~

"Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike!" Yugi shouts as his monster shoots out strikes of lightning and destroys the Great Moth.

"N-no...this can't be. I lost?" Weevil asks, totally broken.

"Hey Weevil! The dock is that away!" You said to him, pointing behind you. Everyone laughed as Weevil walked towards the ocean depressed.

"That'll teach you to never cheat! Especially against someone who can clearly see who you really are!" You hear Yugi finish and with that:

**Yugi: 3 star chips, Joey: 1 star chip, You: 2 star chips**

~YOUR POV~

"That was a great duel!" You said to Yugi who had changed back to himself.

"Thanks." He said as you and the gang walked down through the forest.

"Ya! You whooped Weevil like a bug on a windshield! It was totally awesome!" Joey cried sounding totally inspired.

Yugi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Heh. Thanks guys. I just hope he doesn't come near us again."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. You couldn't keep your mind on how well the Pharaoh was determined in the whole thing. He really had been kept well...

Joey punched the air and took a deep breath, "Awwright! I'm ready to take on the next person we see!" He ran to the edge of a cliff and everyone got an anime sweat drop on their heads.

"Here I stand, the next Duel Monsters Champion!" Joey cried out to the sea.

You anime fell. xD Tea's head hung low, "He needs a reality check...'

You got straight back up and shrugged your shoulders, "I dunno. You never know, maybe he'll surprise us." Everyone blinked and began to have a laughing spree. Joey glared deathly at you and then looked back towards the ocean water. 'I better be the champion...' He thought as he remembered the time he took Serenity to the beach.

~IT'S FLASHBACK RIGHT HERE~

'Don't worry sis, I'll make sure you don't lose your eyesight and show you that beautiful ocean one last time... I promise.'

"Hey, check it out!" Tristan exclaims, looking towards the vast greenery holding many dueling platforms along its grass. "Duel Monster stadiums!"

Everyone looked his way and sighed in awe.

"Right! I'm goin' in." Joey says holding his fists up to his chest and his face held high.

"Are you sure Joey? If you lose this duel, you'll have to give up your only star chip!" Tristan says horrified. Tea nods, "That's right."

Joey gets to an anime fall.

"Don't worry Joey, you'll do fine." Yugi says as he helps him up.

"And Joey, just to let you know, we're gonna be standing right here for ya." You said smiling to him.

Joey turns to face you, "Thanks guys. That means a lot."

"You lost bud, now give me your star chip!" someone said a little ways from where you guys were standing.

Everyone turned to the direction of the voice. She had long blonde hair and looks to be like a movie star but can only catch Joey's FULL attention.

"B-but, you cheated somehow! There was no way you could tell what your cards were without even looking." A boy next to her said, terrified.

"I'm psychic." She said taking his star chips, and finished it off with a wink, "And you're, done."

The boy started to dramatically cry and run off while the blonde stood still and decided to start laughing. Then she stopped when her eyes fell on top of you guys. She looked more interested in you and Yugi but decided not to show it. "Hey, aren't you that kid Yugi who beat Kaiba? Hard to think a squirt like you can beat a champion like him."

Yugi blushed as he stuttered, "Ya, well-I-I-uh..."

"The name's Mai Valentine." She said to him. Yugi introduced all of you to her too, but when he got to you, she gasped.

"No way! It's really Sarah? THE Dueling Legend from America? It's an honour to meet you." She said as she shook your hand.

You smiled as Tea began boiling behind you, "It's nice to meet you too Mai!" 'Man, she's eyeing some of us awkwardly...'

"Hmm...I think I'm in the mood for a duel..." She said as she eyed the three of you suspiciously. "You know what? I'm DEFINITELY in the mood for a duel. So get ready, because I choose...you Joey!"

"Whaa?" Joey asks surprised as he pointed to himself.

"Do you have the guts?" Mai asks challenging him. "Get it? I wanna play you kid." She said smirking as she crossed her arms.

"Hn! Guess you heard of my skills." Joey says smirking as well. anime sweat drops clouding everyone's heads.

Mai frowned, "Don't flatter yourself. I overheard you and Yugi talking on the boat and I know he gave you the only star chip he had left and considering you wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for him, you have got to be the weakest player on the island. My motto is, 'take out the weakest players first.'" She added a wink at the end to make it intimidating.

Tea warned Joey not to accept, but Joey didn't listen. He walked to the arena and drew his hand. "Let's duel!" They both shouted and they're life point counters hit 2000.

"C'mon Joey! You can do this!" You shouted from over the sidelines. He gave you thumbs up.

"Since you only have one measly star chip, I only have to bet one of min against you." Mai says matter-of-factly as she put down one chip. Joey put down his star chip too.

Joey went first. He drew his card and played his first ever move in a tournament, "I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman (1100ATK/1100DEF)! Hey...I just made my first move!"

Mai's turn next. She drew her card and then laid them face down onto the card screen, and started to hum.

"Wha? What the hek are you doing?" Joey asks

Mai smirked towards him, "I'm reading my cards. I have to mystically choose which ones the best."

Joey panicked, "What are you, uh, a psychic?"

After a couple of turns went by, Joey was too busy being distracted by the card trick than paying attention to his moves. Tristan took his hands to his head, "He's losing it!"

Tea shut her eyes tightly, "Yugi, help him!"

There was another glow and your locket gave off its familiar light too. "Don't listen to her Joey! She's only trying to confuse you!" You glanced over to him in curiosity.

Joey blinked at him and held his cards closer to him, "When you get that look in your eye, I believe everything you say..." He looked to his cards in thought. 'My friends are right. I need to stop thinking about Mai's card trick and start using my head.'

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and concentrated. 'Ok...there's gotta be a way she can read her cards. If it's not ESP, there's gotta be something else she's doin'.' He suddenly smelt something...strike that a whole LOT of somethings. 'Wait...what are those strange smells? I couldn't smell it when I had my eyes open, I'm getting a whole bunch of different perfumes.'

It suddenly struck him and he opened his eyes, "I see through your card trick!"

Mai looked taken a back as he explained, "I don't believe you."

Joey pointed to her cards, "You sprayed all your cards with different perfumes! So no matter what card you drew, even without looking you'll still know what it is!"

Mai's eyes widened, "No way! How could an amateur like you see through my aroma strategy?"

Joey huffed, "It took me a while, but your trick isn't going to be such a trick now that I'm not buying it anymore."

Mai looked devastated.

You jumped up and down, "Go Joey! You figured it out!" Yami smiled under his breath and looked up to Joey. Your heart almost skipped beat at being able to stand right next to him.

Mai was winning so far, but all Joey needed was the Time Wizard that Yugi gave him. Joey closed his eyes and drew his card...

"Alright! It's the Time Wizard!" He summoned the clock onto the field. Eons passed in seconds and Joey's Baby Dragon turned into Thousand Dragon while Mai's monsters were aged.

Mai looked at them horrified, "No...if he attacks I'm—"

"Thousand Dragon? Attack!" The blast was sent through and Mai's life points hit 0.

You jumped up, "Yeah! Joey won!"

Joey got down from the platform and hi 5d everyone, "Thanks Yugi. I never would have done it without you." He turned to the retreating figure of Mai, "Hey Mai!" She turned around to look at him. "I've got my friends, that's why I'll always win." Everyone cheered and walked away down a path. You picked up your rucksack and lightly waved to Mai. She stood in place for a second; thinking about Joey just said and then turned to walk to her next duel.

Yugi: 3 star chips, Joey: 2 star chips, You: 2 star chips

"That. Was. Awesome!" You said as you couldn't help yourself to jump up.

Joey smiled a flatterful smile, "Why thank you Miss! Eh Sarah? When do we get to see you duel?"

You ran your fingers through your silky hair, "Ehh...the next time a guy comes up to me and says, 'wanna duel?' you know." You smiled broadly as Joey was left blinking. There was a low growl and everyone stopped.

You stepped backwards a bit, "Whh-what was that?" Everyone started cracking up as they saw Joey lurching over holding his stomach dramatically.

Joey smiled weakly, "S-sorry Sarah. That was my stomach. I guess I'm just hungry don't worry." He looked around for any signs of food. "Hey anyone know where I can get somethin' ta eat?"

Everyone looked around them too but shook their heads. Yugi put a hand to his chin, "You're right Joey, duelling can really wear you out but I haven't seen any burger stands or restaurants since we got here."

Joey groaned until his head perked up to Tristan's voice. "Heyyyy! I smell fish! And it's coming from over there!" Everyone looked towards the direction he was pointing to to see a vast ocean on the other side of a cliff, and on the edge of the cliff sure enough, there was what used to be a fire and homemade fish sticks.

Joey stood there gaping for a second when he snapped out of it and smiled widely, "Yay! Food!" Him and Tristan ran for the fish while you stood there gaping back at them.

"J-Joey? Tristan? I, I don't think that's a good idea..." You said as you and the rest of the gang walked up to the both of them who had already started eating.

Joey swallowed and said, "Why not? Its food, and no one's been claiming it yet. So we're cool."

You squinted your eyes at them and crossed your arms, "Just because it's been sitting out here, in broad daylight, doesn't mean that they're YOURS."

Suddenly from the edge of the cliff came a low growl and over climbed a human, wearing a duellist's glove. "How dare you eat my fish! Who welcomed you anyway?"

Joey and Tristan immediately got to their feet and tried saying sorry but the duellist saw Yugi, and then his eyes glanced to you.

YOU: O_o woah! Wat does he want... (ME: nothing you moron! He just know ur the Duelling Legend. THAT'S why.) YOU: O_O ohhhhhhhh! (ME: *slaps forehead* lol. XD)

"Wait a minute." He said, diverting his whole attention to Yugi. "Aren't you Yugi Mutou? The man who defeated Seto Kaiba?"

Yugi looked back flustered but then his eyes widened as he figured out who this person was too, "hey, and you're Mako Tsunami! The ocean duellist! It's a pleasure to meet you."

Mako smiled sheepishly, "It's nice to meet you too Yugi Mutou." He shook his hand and then turned to you. "And you're the Duelling Legend from America am I right? What are you doing out in the middle of an island?"

You blinked and then quickly smiled, "You know...just entering the contest that's all."

He shook your hand too and then he looked back to everyone else, "I'm sorry. If you are friends with Yugi and Sarah, then you may eat your fill."

Joey and Tristan jumped up and sat back down, "Feeding Frenzy!" Everyone got an anime sweat drop and they all sat down to eat, but you weren't really hungry. You were actually interested in how Mako was looking towards Yugi and the group. He was eyeing you suspiciously.

Joey had gotten up and was stretching his arms as he looked to Mako, "Thanks so much for the fish Mako. Well, I guess we'll see you later!" Everyone waved to him and started walking when your locket gave off a small light and you quickly turned around your eyes widened.

Mako was holding a spear and he launched it towards Yugi. You dashed in front of him and caught the spear holding it as you were holding a staff with both hands. Yugi froze in his tracks. "Mako! What's the big idea?" you shouted at him, ready to burst from sudden anger.

Mako smirked and laughed (i swear his laugh is sometimes REALLY annoying...XD), "You think you will eat and then just walk off without paying? Well...think again..."

A duelling platform emerged from the water near the cliff and Mako took out his deck. "I challenge you, Yugi Mutou! And when I defeat you, I will go find my father!" (you know the story rite? Cool. XD)

Yugi, who recovered from the shock of you appearing in front of him so quickly, changed to Yami and your locket glowed a small yet strong light. You glanced over as he was about to walk to the duelling platform and took out his deck. He glanced back to you too and nodded as a silent 'thank you' "Prepare to lose Mako! I put up two star chips on this match." He put them to the side and turned to Mako.

"As do I." he says as he placed his on the side as well. "If you don't mind, I'll go first."

Yami nodded but then his eyes went towards the field, "What the—why is your half of the field covered in water?"

Mako smirked again, "The arena we'll be fighting on will have both water and land. You're part's the land."

Yami didn't like this idea one bit. He could tell something's up.

Mako drew his card and it played on from there. He played monsters that hid in the water for safety. Yami's turn, and you could already tell he was a bit flustered. He played Full Moon with his Silver Fang to increase its strength, but what he didn't know was that it also rose the tide ("The moon controls the tide and the way the water has moved." he says.). Yami didn't give up though. He summoned his Giant Soldier of Stone on the bit of land that was left. He attacked the moon as the monsters from Mako's field came to attack. As the moon shattered, the water went back and the monsters lay motionless on dry land. Mako's horrified. Yami summoned Curse of Dragon and added the magic card Burning Land to finish them off. Mako's monsters died and his life points hit zero.

"That was a fine duel my friend. And uh, heh, I'm sorry about the spear." he said as he shook Yami's hand.

He nodded, "No problem. See ya round Mako." He waved back to him as he met up with the rest of you guys.

"Bye Mako!" everyone said to him as they waved him on. He waved back as he dove for the sea, "Bye everyone! And good luck!"

CURRENT STATUS: Yugi: 4 star chips, Joey: 2 star chips, You: 2 star chips

"That was a really good strategy Yugi." You said to him, slinging your rucksack around you. "Destroying your own planet? Pretty awesome."

Yugi now, said as he laughed, "Thanks Sarah, but I could never have figured that the moon controlled the tides and stuff." Everyone joined him in a laugh.

It was beginning to get dark and everyone can hear the clear growls of Joey's stomach...once again.

"Heh, I'm sorry guys. I get hungry WAY to of'en." He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

You giggled, "Man, you've got fast metabolism dude."

Tristan cocked an eyebrow and then grinned, "She's takin' like me dude."

You smiled widely, "That's what I pick up after hanging out wit' you guys." Everyone let out a chuckle.

Joey's eyes fell on top of your rucksack and he eyed it suspiciously, "Eh, Sarah? Why do you got a bag on ya? You're not...planning to kill us right?"

Your eyes widened as you stopped dead in your tracks. Everyone stopped to turn around and see what's wrong when they saw shadows...covering your eyes.

"So...you've finally figured it out..." You said hastily towards them.

Joey, being the (funny, smexy, hot, awesome XD) protective guy that he is, he stood in front of everyone, half scared to death himself, and managing to stutter out, "I kn-knew you were evil this wh-whole time! You'd b-better stay away from us!"

Your hair fell over your eyes and you slowly walked towards them. They hesitantly watched you. When there was a foot separating you and the guys, you uncovered one eye to look at them and then began giggling uncontrollably. Joey growled and nearly blew as he put your head in a head lock, rubbing the top of your head, "Why you little..."

Everyone laughed with you as you turned around and hugged Joey playfully around the neck, "I would never kill you guys! Why would you think that?"

Joey shrugged, "I dunno. Cuz we just met you like a week ago. But not that that matters any more but I also got curious of the bag. I mean, why are you carrying that thing around?"

You blinked and opened the zipper of the bag, "Hmm...I know I brought this for a reason..." You rummaged around the contents and stopped abruptly. "Oh THAT'S why..."

Joey looked over your shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of what you were looking at, and asked, "Watcha got?"

You took out a can and smiled sheepishly towards Joey, "...Food."

COMPLETE SILENCE.

Joey grabbed his head, "You mean to tell me you had food the whole time?!"

You fell back and covered your head, "I'm sorry! I've got fast metabolism too! And sometimes when I don't eat, I don't remember stuff!" You held your chin in your hands, "Or maybe it was because Yugi's duels were that interesting." You winked towards Yugi as he blushed sheepishly.

Joey crossed his arms, "Damn...no wonder you're so god damn skinny...you're way to hyper man."

(some of your hyperness coming right up. XD) You squinted at him, "I can't be that hyper..."

Joey nodded as he looked to you as if in a dream, "Uhh...yeah right! I bet one of these days, we'll see you jumping from...wall to wall!"

Tristan nudged you as you got up, "Or from Joey to Joey." Everyone cracked up as Joey stood there dumbstruck.

You shook your head at him, "Ok, forget about that! I bet you guys are hungry." Everyone nodded as they sat down in the clearing. Yugi had brought the fire wood as you looked around your bag for matches. You gave everyone their share and they ate until they were full.

Joey laid back, his hands behind his head, "Mmm that was good. Thanks so much Sarah."

You swallowed some water and nodded, "Of course. Anytime guys."

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, there came the shuffling noises of the bushes behind you. You let out a scream as all the boys ran in front of you and Tea.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Joey cried, fists clenched and standing directly in front of you.

The bushes shuffled some more and then out came a figure, whom Tea recognized almost immediately.

"Hey! You're Bakura from school! See? I told you I wasn't just seeing things!" Obviously Tea had seen him before, but I haven't even BOTHERED to say so. Sorry 'bout that to those of you who hate me for it.

"Hello." He said after giving them a little wave. Joey almost shouted, "Bakura?! What's the big idea sneaking around like that?!"

Bakura looked startled but smiled sheepishly, "Ehh I'm sorry. I came to the Island but then got myself lost. I hope I didn't scare you too much." Everyone giggled nervously.

Bakura glanced towards the whole group and then his eyes fell onto you.

Joey cleared his throat and dramatically rose his arms towards you, "Bakura? This is Sarah. She's in the tournament too and so far...she doin' horrible." You blushed a little bit but then glared towards him, only to have him step back.

Bakura held out a hand, "Nice to meet you. I'm Ryou Bakura." You smiled and gladly took the hand, "Nice to meet you."

The whole group decided to show each other their deck while sitting beside the fire. You somehow got a bad feeling about Ryou but thought it was nothing...yet still, you couldn't...just in case.

"Hey I've got a question. What are your guys' favourite cards?" Ryou asked, looking up from his deck.

Joey perked his head up and immediately got to his feet, slashing his arm down as if he was holding a sword, "Flame Swordsman baby! All the way!"

Tristan picked his Cyber Commander, Tea picked Magician of Faith, Yugi of course picked his awesomely awesome Dark Magician and you picked...

"Sarah, what about you?" Bakura asked, looking to you. You looked through the cards in your deck and picked one out from the middle, "I'd have to pick the Warrior of Elements. She's got to be my best card and she's really cool." You smiled broadly at them all laughing at each other.

"Don't you think it's kind of silly to be comparing ourselves to playing cards?" Tea asks.

Yugi shook his head, "Well, it's like what my grandpa said, the cards are part of our hearts. If we love something so much, it becomes a part of us."

You nodded in understandment.

Bakura looked up, (Hey I know this is Ryou, but in season 1, he's gonna be called Bakura. Kay? Coolio. XD), "Hey I've got an idea. Let's play a duel. Not for star chips, but for fun. How about it?"

Joey nodded grinning, "Yeah sure. I'm up for it. What d'you say guys?"

Everyone said yes and put their cards into Yugi's deck. You swore you could feel a dark presence around him and never let your guard down.

"Ok. We're done assembling our deck." Yugi stated as he put his deck onto a stump. Bakura laid down a dueling mat and put his deck on there too.

"Now are you sure you're fine if all five of us go against you Bakura? 'Cuz ya know we'll beat you." Joey asks grinning.

Bakura shook his head, "No no, it's alright. I don't mind."

Suddenly, it got colder. MUCH colder. Darkness seemed to appear around all of you, clouding your surroundings.

"Wh-what's going on?" Tea asks terrified.

Yugi looks to him shocked, "What are you doing Bakura?"

Bakura smirks and holds his hands up in front of him. There was a glow and from underneath his shirt came out...a gold ring.

Your locket gave off a warmth and you felt a sudden pain in your heart, 'The...Millennium Ring? But...how?!'

The world became a bit darker and one by one, Bakura separated your guys' souls and put them into Yugi's deck. First Yugi, then Joey, Tea, and the Tristan. And then he came to you. "Have fun in the Shadow Realm, Sarah."

Your eyes widened and you braced for impact. You looked up and saw him fumbling with the Ring. You looked down and saw your own locket glow a bright light. 'I'm blocking it...' You thought. But then Bakura regained control and aimed his Item at you. You felt yourself being ripped in two. His Millennium Ring grew weak when you blocked it and could only seal half your soul into your favourite card, but when you landed to the ground unconscious, he thought your whole soul was separated from your body.

"Hmph. That was easier than I thought." He said to himself as he walked towards Yugi's body. "And now, the Millennium Puzzle is finally mine!" He bent down to take it from Yugi's neck but you regained consciousness and put your arm out in front of him. He gaped as you rose up from the ground, weak because you have only half your soul.

"Don't...even...think about it." You managed to croak.

Bakura snickered and said, "Well then. Since your soul stuck around for some more taste of the Shadow Realm, it should be no trouble imprisoning you in your card the second time!"

You gasped and held your breath as you stood in front of Yugi's limp figure. You were way too weak to block it again so you waited for his move to finish.

There was a sudden bright glow from behind you and up stood Yugi, but this time, with the spirit taking over.

"Don't even try." He stated clearly as he faced Bakura with courage. He stood with you side by side looking determined. You yourself felt some of your energy coming back to you as you smiled knowing he's alright.

Bakura stepped back, but gave you one of his smirks, "Heh. I've been wondering when I would be able to meet the spirit of the Puzzle." He let out a chuckle.

Yami looked to you and noticed you limping, "Are you alright?" You looked to him and forced a smile, "Yeah of course. What about you?"

He looked you over and nodded, "I'm fine, but, how did you escape his power?"

You looked to him weakly and replied, "He got half of me. I tried blocking him, but he still has half my soul. It's trapped in my favourite card just like everyone else." He looked to the deck then back to you with a little more concern, "How do we free them?"

Bakura snickered and sat down beside the stump, "You duel me and win of course. Unless you want you and your guardian to stay in the Shadow Realm foever."

Yami looked confused, "Guardian?"

You shook your head, "Fine! We'll duel you. Come on Yugi, let's go."

He shook off his question and nodded. The lifepoints went up to 2000 and the duel was on.

Yami drew his first card and grimaces at his hand. You looked over his shoulder and saw Tristan's card. He looked to you and you nodded.

"I play Cyber Commander(750DEF) in defense mode." He says as he placed the card on his playing mat. A figure emerged and it came out to be Tristan in his monster's uniform. At first he thought he was dreaming, but then he saw Yugi and you looking over him and panicked.

With still some weakness in your voice you said, "Listen to us Tristan. Don't panic. We need to win this duel in order for you to return to your normal bodies." Tristan looks up to you, concern filling his face as he heard you talk, "Ok, but I'm still sure this is a dream."

Bakura's move and he plays White Magical Hat(1000ATK). He tells him to attack and they watch in horror as Tristan disintegrates. "Tristan..." You whispered, still wincing.

Yami looks to Bakura with hate, "Where did he go Bakura? Tell me!"

Bakura only chuckled, "Where all the duel monster cards go after they're destroyed, the Graveyard."

You gasped as you heard Yami say, "It can't be—Tristan can't be...gone!"

You placed a hand on his shoulder, "We'll get him back." He looked to you and nodded. As you removed your hand, your fingers felt cold again. When you had placed them on his shoulder, they were warm from his warmth, but now they just went cold.

Yami drew his card and looked to you as he played, "The Flame Swordsman(1800ATK)! In attack mode!"

The Flame Swordsman arose as the both of you noticed again that it was one of your friends. Joey.

He looks confused and as he turned around to ask Yugi what's going on he let out a scream at the sight of a giant Yugi and a giant you. "What the hell's goin' on?!"

You winced harder and quickly closed your mouth but they noticed. Yami put a hand on your shoulder, "I think you should lie down. Prop yourself up against me." You blushed slightly as you nodded and sat down beside him, laying your back against his right side, making sure not to put so much pressure down.

Bakura chuckled, "Still caring for her? Even after you don't remember her? Pity." Yami ignored the remark and looked down the Joey. "Joey, attack his White Magical Hat!"

Joey held up his sword, "No problem. Hya!" He rose the sword over his head and then brought it down the middle of Bakura's monster.

Bakura grimaced and held his chest with his hand as his lifepoints reached 1200, "Your swordsman won't be so lucky next time." He played a monster in defence mode. You could sense Yami being suspicious about it, but before he could stop him, Joey attacked. He had attacked a Morphing Jar(600DEF). You and Yami gasped as he saw Joey being pleased with himself.

"Joey, you don't understand." You said to him, trying to forget the ache in your sides.

Joey looked confused, "Why?"

Yami looked worriedly to his hand, "That monster has a bad side effect. All the cards in both player's hands have to go to the Graveyard."

Joey immediately regretted his actions, "Ohh I'm so sorry!"

Yami shook his head, "It's alright Joey. We're just lucky we didn't have the others' cards in here." Yami put his cards in the discard pile and drew a whole new hand, as did Bakura.

Bakura smirked to him and placed another card down in defence, "A whole new hand, comes a whole new perspective." He puts down a face down card too. "New dangers surround every corner."

'Hmm what could he be planning?' You thought as Yami drew his next card. You watched in horror as you saw it was the Dark Magician. You could sense him thinking it over, if HIS soul was placed in it.

"I play the Dark Magician(2500ATK)!" Yami says as he places the card faced down and sure enough, there was a little Yugi. You thought maybe Yugi would finally notice there was an ancient spirit residing within his Millennium Puzzle, and he did. Yugi stood beside Joey and waited for the next move. Yami played Reborn the Monster (i know its monster reborn but in season 1, they wanted it to be 'Reborn the Monster' instead. XD) and revived Tristan. He appeared on the field and was surprised to see everyone just as confused and looking towards the giant Yugi from their perspective and to the pain filled you.

Yugi attacks the face down monster and saw it was another Morphing Jar. Yami and Bakura drew a brand new hand and you flinched when he drew Magician of Faith. Bakura plays the spell Just Desserts and what it does is inflict 500 points of damage to Yami for each monster on his side of the field. Yami grabbed his chest in pain and so did you. "Another hit like that...and it's over you guys!" he says to them. You looked over to him, "Are you...alright?" He nodded and looked to you wondering the same thing. You nodded and he nodded back, looking back to the duel.

He summons Magician of Faith and then Joey attacks a Man Eater Bug(600ATK) in defence and then he's sent to the Graveyard and Tea brings back Joey using her powers and then the card that catches everyone's attention, was the Change of Heart card. (lol. Sorry for putting all of that together. Its just its driving me insane. XD)

Bakura played his Lady of Faith(1100ATK) and then the Change of Heart. They see Bakura's soul in the Change of Heart card. Yami drew his card and saw your Warrior of Elements. You looked to it helplessly and wondered if you would ever get your original strength back. Yami looked to you, "I'll have to play it. It's not safe in my hand." You barely let out a whisper, "Do what you gotta do." He nodded and summoned your card in attack mode. "Warrior of Elements(2300ATK/2000DEF)! Arise!" On top of the card, there was a bright light as you made your way out of it.

* * *

**Author's Note:** To see the picture, message me and I'll show you. It's probably a good idea to know what some of your monsters look like because they'll be coming up again and again. In less words, a lot. ^^ Thanks for reading the note. ^^

Everyone watched in awe. Yami even looked at it as if he was in a dream. You smirked towards the others and said, fixing your helmet, "Let's finish this guy off!"

Bakura took over Lady of Faith and Yami immediately thought of a plan. If Bakura could trap cards within cards, then he can do the same. He switches Bakura with the spirit of the Millennium Ring. You smiled and rose your blade to your side. You charged towards him and jumped up high into the air before coming down, slicing through him. "Bye." You said sarcastically as you saw him vanish.

Everyone went back to their bodies and so did yours. Yugi had a few questions about everything, but you lost consciousness. A few minutes later, everyone began waking up, thinking it was all a dream. When you finally awoke, you knew it wasn't a dream though. You could tell Yugi saw that in you too.

There was a sudden scream, from out of nowhere, and everyone got to their feet.


	9. Time to Panik

**Author's Note:** Ok! So here's chapter 8. Hope you like it! Oh and beware some language. ^_^ Thanks for reading these notes. :)

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 8**

A scream came from out of nowhere and you jumped to your feet. You looked around panic striking the edges of your outline. You looked towards the gang who were looking in front of them.

Joey pointed towards the trees and said, "I think that was Mai! Let's go!" Everyone didn't argue and they ran for it.

You reached the edge of the woods and saw shadows just coming off of a dueling arena and Mai on one end, coming back down, with no star chips.

Joey raised a fist, "Mai? Is this creep giving you trouble?" Creep was right. This guy was huge. He had shadows marked around his eyes and he looked almost revoltingly evil.

The man chuckles and gets off from his end of the field and walks towards Mai, taking her wrist into his massive hands. "She lost the duel! Just take a look at her dueling glove you pathetic kids!"

Mai looked up to them apologetically. You clenched your fists.

"I'm sorry you guys, but it's true. It just.....all happened too fast. He's a brutal dueler." Mai said shaking a bit. You saw Joey take a step forward.

"But that doesn't mean you can pick on defenseless people in da middle of da night!" Joey shouts towards him.

The man chuckles again and you swore your ears were going to go deaf. "I can't help if the defenseless people are wondering around this late in the first place. It's my job to eliminate the pathetic waste from the island and get the honour of crushing the many duelists. Their spirits crumble before my eyes."

You couldn't help but take a step beside Joey, "So you think by coming out of nowhere and scaring the shit out of people, you'll get an advantage? That's sad."

His mouth turned into a snarl. "There's nothing you can do about it now. She's lost." He said hating and thrusting Mai into Joey, who caught her protectively.

"Hey! Watch it! Just 'cuz she lost, doesn't mean you have the right to push people around!" Joey said, assuring Mai by stroking her hair.

You felt something tug your mind into the direction where Yugi was standing and saw his eyes covered by shadow and his hair. You watched as you thought you felt him making up the courage in his heart to talk.

And finally he did.

"Joey? I've dealt with bullies before and violence is never the answer." He said slowly, barely in his normal voice. He took a few steps towards the buff guy and you watched in amid panic and fear. He looked up and said just before a bright yellow light flashed through the night sky, "You've got to stand up to them!"

And just as you had thought, Yami appeared right where Yugi was a moment ago.

"How about you and I duel and we'll just see how scary you really are." Yami said, courage flooding his voice as he pointed to him. Your eyes widened as you saw what he had just gotten himself into.

The man chuckled menacingly and said, "You're Yugi Mutou aren't you. Hmm...Pegasus has promised a beautiful bounty to whoever can eliminate the top duelist here. Then there's also the Dueling Legend but hers isn't nearly as needed yet." You cursed under your breath. He had a trick up his sleeve. Somehow you just knew it.

Yami scoffed, "On one condition. While you get the pleasure of trying to beat me, you have to promise that if I win, you give back all of Mai's chips."

The man's smirk disappeared and he said, "If it's to be that, than let it begin." He walked back up towards his end of the platform and placed his deck on top. Yami walked to his and repeated the same actions. You held your fists into tighter clenches. The man had still not said who he was.

"If you know who we are, we have a right to know who you are." You said suddenly as the two of them picked up their five cards. The man snickered and said slickly, "My name's Panik. Scaring duelists is my specialty. And as for right now, this duel might hurt somebody..."

You cocked an eyebrow and tried keeping your voice steady as you asked, "Wh-what are you talking about?" You clenched your fists and looked worriedly to the duel.

Panik chuckled menacingly and opened a compartment under his cards' mat. "This is what I mean..." He said snickering. He pressed a button and all of a sudden—

—there was fire coming out from the sides of the platform. The flames directed to Yugi.

You took a step forward out of haste and shouted, "Yugi!" The flames were aimed to his sides and he shielded himself with his arms. Your eyes widened and you saw him safe and sound.

"Panik! Just try that again and I'll kill your sorry ass!" You shouted towards him with gritted teeth. Your powers haven't even come to you yet and the Pharaoh's already in a heap of trouble.

Panik only laughed at your attempt. "Don't worry. Yugi's just fine if I burn him to a crisp. He won't even oppose."

You cursed under your breath. Yugi looked to his ankles and saw them shackled. "Heh. The coward doesn't want me to go anywhere. He's chained my ankles." He said.

You looked up in haste all over again. "What?! That—That's illegal!" You said pointing it out.

Panik smirked, "Not in my rules."

You looked to him in disgust. "You're a real wimp."

Panik scoffed, but ignored your comment. "Let's get on shall we?" The life point counters hit 2000 and the duel was on.

-SKIPPING MOST OF DUEL-

Panik WAS brutal. No doubt about it. He used a castle that floated up to the sky to shower shadows down to his side of the field, making it hard to see anything he played.

You raised a fist, serenely horrified of course, "That's illegal too no doubt! He can't see a thing!"

Panik laughed at your retort, "That's the whole point."

You cursed. Smart ass.

Panik played more of his moves. He put his monsters in a shield around his castle to protect them. You couldn't hold it in.

"Hmph. Typical coward." You scoffed, crossing your arms and looking towards him with a glint of smirkness flying through your eyes.

Panik took a step back. "What did you say?" He growled.

You smirked for real this time. "Tell him Yugi. I think you know exactly what I'm thinking." You said playfully to Yugi who looked back to you, the same click happening whenever you looked into HIS eyes.

Yugi smirked and looked to Panik as well, "She's right. You're a coward. That's exactly what I was thinking too, but by saying it, I wonder, would it hurt your cowardly feelings?"

You kept in a spluttered laugh.

Panik growled again and pressed the button to release the flames once more, but the two of you kept calm as the flames missed Yugi by him moving only inches away.

"I don't think your 'fire toy' is goin' to work anymore, not on that handsome fella up there....anyway." You blushed but still held your head up high. Yugi looked towards you confused.

Panik retorts. "How am I a coward you insolent dogs?"

You almost protested but didn't pass the boundaries of your game.

Tea suddenly chirped in. "I hope you guys know what you're doing....." she said.

Mai nudged her harshly in the ribs. "Don't interfere." She said just as severely.

Tea huffed. "Well why not? This is dangerous!"

Mai shook her head. "You don't understand. Yugi and Sarah are using Panik's own tactics against him. If everything goes according to their plan, they'll be able to defeat him."

Everyone nodded in understanding, but Tea still looked worried.

Yugi crossed his arms too and said pointing out the obvious from your and his point of view, "You're going to lose Panik." He held up his hand, showing all five of his fingers. "In five turns, you're finished." He said finishing off his talk move.

You smiled inwardly as you saw Panik have a..........well.............Panik attack.

-BACK TO SKIPPING-

Yami had just blown Panick's life points away. It's hard to go around the field he played in but he did it.

"A coward never wins Panik." Yami said confidently, as he put his star chips back onto his glove. He picked up Mai's too and stepped off the platform. His ankles no longer shackled.

He used the Swords of Revealing Light card to show Panik's side of the field. Then he combined his Gaia the Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon to make Gaia the Dragon Champion. He put his fused monster onto his Catapult Turtle and shot his up towards the castle, but that was just it. It broke the ring off but nothing else came down. So how could a castle that lost its floatation ring still be floating? Yugi's Swords were holding it up. He knew that math. He had planned it. That caught your attention real good. When his three turns were up for the Swords, the castle came plummeting down, crushing all of Panik's monsters that he kept behind that godforsaken shield he put around his castle to cover his monsters. Awesome.

Panik gawked at his loss. He couldn't accept the fact that he was beat. He cursed under his breath and reached for the button once more, but this time, pressing it after programming it to MAX.

"I may have lost, but I'm still going to eliminate you!" Panik cried as he punched through the button.

Flames shot out from all over the place. They were swirling around the arena like a tornado. You pushed Joey away before he could react, since he was the closest. Tea was pulled back by Tristan and Bakura.

"Yugi!" You cried trying to see if he's ok. You heard the distant words 'Mind Crush' echo throughout your mind. He has shielded himself with his Millennium Puzzle and sent Panik's horrid mind to the Shadow Realm. You were relieved to find him unscarred and unharmed as the flames resided and he stepped off the platform.

You ran over to Yugi with worry suddenly clouding your eyes. "Yugi?" you asked, "Are you alright?"

He looked to you and that click happened once more. You couldn't really explain it, but it felt as though it had something to do with you missing him.

Yugi nodded and smiled. That smile almost melted your heart.

'And for what possible reason?!'

"Thanks for your help on confusing him." He said with his voice. The same voice which you've been waiting to hear once more. ^^

You smiled back and nodded, "No problem. It was nothing."

Yami looked to you for one more second before turning around and walking towards Mai. He held up the star chips to her. "Here you are Mai. Your star chips." He said.

You couldn't help but remember him being generous 5,000 years ago. ^^

Mai looked to his hand and then back up to him, still gaping at the fact that he helped her. "I'm sorry Yugi." She said. "But I don't deserve them. I fight my own battles."

You got confused. "But Mai. He won them for you." You said to her.

She shook her head, "I know, and it's very kind of you Yugi, but I can't become a duelist if I have to rely on someone else to bail me out."

Joey grinned like a sheepish squirrel. "Well, if you don't want 'em, we can take 'em! Thanks Mai!" he said taking the star chips from Yugi's hand.

Mai blinked but then fumed. "You think me losing my star chips is funny Joseph Wheeler?!" She cried. She stood on her toes to try and get them back from Joey's high grip, when he suddenly put them into her hands. She looked towards them and blinked.

"Of course you can have 'em." Joey said smiling.

Mai gaped again. "Really? Joey?" she said surprised, still not over the fact that someone helped her.

Joey shrugged, "Of course. We're friends now cool?" He gave her a thumbs up.

Mai looked back to them and then smiled, "Thanks guys. I owe you Yugi, a great debt."

Yugi nodded and walked with Joey to the rest of you guys. Mai called their names before they totally disappeared.

"And when we do duel Yugi, it'll be an honourable one." She said looking to them smiling, as if she gained something a lot that night.

Yugi smiled and nodded back. 'Yes....an honourable one. That's a duel I'll be looking forward to Mai.'

You smiled inwardly and waved to Mai. "See ya later!" And next time...........it's your time to duel.

**Author's Note:** Well, hope you liked that chapter. Please review! That'll be most appreciated! :3


	10. First Duel

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter 9! Sarah's going to duel now, in this one. :3

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 9**

Since the events of last night, you guys decided to catch up on your sleeping. You, however, couldn't get the fact that Yugi was getting himself into trouble before you got the chance to get your powers to help. At that point you felt useless, but you knew your powers will grow when your relationship with the two of the Millennium Puzzle holders grows. Eventually, you and the Pharaoh put together....would be unstoppable. You smiled at the thought as you watched Yugi sleep soundlessly.

You sighed then got up and turned around to go for a short walk. You put your arms around your shoulders and stared out over a cliff. The ocean in the night looked really pretty. You could actually feel the waves spray water onto your face and brush away just as quickly as they had arrived. You stared up at the sky. The stars glimmered and shone beautifully in the dark background. You started wondering about Egypt, your life about your apprenticeship, then you actual guardianship. You smiled faintly at the memory.

You sat down and laid your back against a tree, resting your head against the bark as well. You kept your eyes up at the stars and sky. Thinking like this always helped your mind settle a little bit. The Pharaoh was always on your mind. No matter where you were.

And then there's also the fact that he had lost his memory. He didn't know who you were, let alone remember anything. You sighed an aggravated sigh and closed your eyes. It wasn't going to be long before the sun rose, so all you had to do was lay back, relax your muscles and close your eyes. Before you knew it, what you thought was going to be a hard sleep, was actually a pretty fast one.

~MORNING~

Your eyelids fluttered open to see the ocean in front of you and the cliff just ahead. You rose your head up to find that you had been laying down on your side. You yawned and shook your head to wake yourself up. You looked around you and from behind you heard a yell, a Brooklyn yell.

"Sarah!!" it called. "Where are ya? Geez, where could she have gone?"

"I dunno." said a second male voice. "You don't think she's takin' hostage or somethin', do ya?"

"I hope not. That'd be horrible. I'd hate to have Sarah taken away......" the first voice admitted. Your cheeks turned a light pink as you heard their conversation.

"DUDE!" cried the second voice. "You like Sarah?!"

You heard a wack and covered your mouth instantly from making yourself heard giggling.

"Would you keep it down?! I don't want the whole world knowing......."

"Gee sorry man." Said the second voice. "But when we find her, you should tell her."

"I should smack you again." Said the first voice and you shuffled in the grass to try and stop yourself from laughing. "There's no way I'm tellin' Sarah how I feel. *sigh* She won't feel the same way with me. I mean look at me! I'm an amateur duelist who's gotten this far by luck. She would never fall for a guy like dat!"

You sighed and almost felt like crying. Joey is sweet but you won't ever feel the same way like he felt. You didn't know that feeling. The only type of love you really knew was the love your parents gave you before their death. You never felt that true love you'd get from someone you truly care for. Who ISN'T family. Get what I'm saying? That's one part of you that you'd never get to experience, because you don't know how.

Just like how Yugi needs courage and Yami needs kindness................you need true love.

You sighed and shook your head, shrugging it off. Thinking about it later would be more appropriate. You slowly rose to your feet and stretched your arms up towards the treetops.

The two people were right behind the tree and when they heard you and actually saw you, they jumped about a foot into the air and screamed at the top of their lungs.

You rubbed your head and turned around with an anime sweatdrop on your head. "Geez guys. Do you have to be this loud?" you asked half laughing.

Joey breathed in and out while Tristan doubled over, catching his own breath. "Wow Sarah.........You nearly gave us a heart attack!"

You smirked and put your hands on your hips. "Well maybe you shouldn't be walking around bushes all by yourself."

He perked his head up and blushed. "We were.........uh...looking for you. You disappeared so we walked around trying to find ya." His emotion suddenly changed and he came up to you and raised a fist to your face. "YOU COULD HAVE LET US KNOW YA KNOW!!" he shouted, trying to look angry.

You pouted and that caught Joey's attention. "I'm sorry." You said looking down. ;D "I should have left a note."

"No no." Joey said putting his hands on your shoulders, "It's ok. We would've come after you anyways."

You smiled and nodded. You skipped to Tristan and linked arms with him. "Come on Tristan! Let's go to the others."

Tristan blushed but smirked back to Joey, who of course was standing there gaping. Tristan gave him a 'maybe-next-time' look.

Joey growled and stomped off after the both off you. You reached the others and said good morning. Tristan walked over to Joey and said that you were only playing around. He knew. He just......couldn't help but feel jealous. It was natural.

Bakura (Remember, he's still called Bakura, but it's actually Ryou..........you know) looked up to you and asked, "Where have you been Sarah? You disappeared."

Your eyes saddened and you shrugged, "I'm sorry. I kinda wanted some time alone and then I got a bit tired so I dozed off. I didn't mean any one trouble."

Tea shook her head. "It's not that. We just got a bit worried. Remember what happened to Mai? She had gone on a walk too but she got tangled up with an eliminator."

You nodded, understanding what they said. "Thanks guys."

You walked over to where Yugi was sitting and sat down next to him. "So er..........." you started. Yugi looked towards you. "What are we going to do now?" you asked him.

Yugi merely shrugged and said, "I don't know. I guess we just wait until Joey wants to duel so we can get a move on."

You smirked and chuckled some. Joey eyed you. "It might take him a while to get someone to have the nerve to ask him."

Joey growled and came up behind you, putting your head into a headlock. "What was dat you said?!" he shouted towards you.

You giggled and felt yourself lift off the ground as he pulled you up. "Aww Joey! I'm only kidding!" The six of you laughed together and what came after that puzzled you.

"Hey!"

You blinked and looked up to see a rather sexy looking guy standing a few feet away from you. He crossed his arms and smirked as you looked him over.

(**Author's Note:** If you want to see the picture of Eric, please message me and I will give you the URL for it. Or link whatever you call it. ^^ I'm really sorry I can't give it to you here but it won't work for me. T.T So remember, message me! :))

He walked over to the group and stopped in front of you. Joey who had a grip on you, let you go and started eyeing the guy suspiciously.

(**Author's Note:** Just a note! This guy is soon to be your enemy! Just like Kaiba has Yugi for an enemy, you'll have this dude. Cool? Sweet. xDDD)

You quickly straightened yourself out and stood up properly. The guy walked right up to you and you couldn't help but look at his walk.

"Hey. Aren't you Sarah Wind? What are you doing here?" He asked you. His voice was a little deep yet very smooth. You kind of felt like melting. 'What's wrong with me?!' you asked yourself.

"Er.....yeah. N-nice to meet you. And-and you are?" you asked as you rose a hand. 'Why on earth am I so god damn nervous?! I'm a 5,000 year old spirit who can't fall in love! But......then again it can't be love. Because it's natural for girls to swoon over hot guys. Ok......I'm safe.'

The guy smiled and took your hand. But instead of shaking it, he raised it to his lips and kissed it gently. You blushed heavily. The guys behind you gaped. Joey almost went after him.

"My name's Eric. Eric Hall. It's an honour to meet the Duelling Legend." He said smiling again. He hadn't let go of your hand and as you noticed this, you carefully took it away.

"Hunh. Thanks." You said, still nervous.

He nodded and looked around, then spotted Yugi, "Oh. So the great Yugi Mutou is here too? What a surprise! But then again...who wouldn't have geussed that the two top ranked duelists would be found together? Nice to meet you Yugi. You beating Seto Kaiba was a real shocker." he stated as he shook Yugi's hand. Yugi on the other hand, didn't drop his guard. He stood his ground.

"Thanks Eric." he said plainly.

Eric nodded and then turned back to you. "Hey, um.....do you, want a go? At a duel, I mean." he asked, some pink rushing to colour his cheeks.

You smiled and thought it was a great idea. "Sure! You're my first opponent of the tournament Eric, did you know that?"

Eric chuckled. "Really? Wow.....I'm a lucky guy." He smiled towards you. Suddenly, you couldn't help but feel the intensity of anger radiating off of Yugi, Tristan and Joey. You yourself started to feel a little uneasy.

A duelling arena came up and the two of you took your spots on each end. Joey was the first o shout good luck. You gave him a thumbs up.

(**Author's Note:** Mental note! I might make up cards here! Sorry for that but I'll also tell you the effects so no one loses track, sound good? COOLIO! Let the enemies be known.... xDDD)

"Just so we're clear." Eric started as he took of two star chips from his duelling glove. Apparently he has four and he's putting half of them against you. "I'll put up two chips, and you can put up one, sound good?"

You got a little suspicious there. Who wouldn't? It was a guy you never knew existed, making you swoon, or him trying to get you to, anyway, and this particular guy also just put up double the star chips that his opponent has. You immediately got a picture of what was going on.

"But wait, that can't be it. What else do you want?" you asked him curiously as you took off one star chip and put it by your deck.

Eric chuckled. "What, I can't be a good sport?"

You shook your head. "No, it's not that. I mean, most people wouldn't want to put up two star chips against one. They'd want two on two.

Eric sighed and shuffled his deck. "You're right. There is something I want from you."

You quirked an eyebrow. You also saw Joey tense up in the slightest.

He pulled out a card from the top of his deck and smiled. He looked up towards you. For a second there, his eyes flashed. Like actually flashed. He wasn't up to any good.

"Along with that one star chip, I want you."

-----

Your eyes widened and they immediately turned to the gang after hearing a grunt. Tristan was holding Joey back.

"What do you mean Eric?" you asked, getting kind of scared.

"Tch. Do you know who you are? The DUELLING. LEGEND. No one's duelled like you before in any lifetime. Yet you and Seto Kaiba have never gone against each other. Which surprises me but that's a whole other story...

But have you also looked at yourself? You're freaking beautiful man!" You blushed and took a step back out of habit.

"Every guy walks by you and they wish they can see you again. I'm surprised that Yugi or these other dudes haven't made a move yet!" he said as he kept going.

You blushed again and looked towards the gang. All the guys had a blush on themselves too.

"This is a one in a life time chance. I probably won't have another chance of seeing you again. The least I can do for myself is to put you up with your star chip." he said. His eyes flashed dangerously. "I mean think about it. You'll love having me for a guy!"

You were still in the shock of him changing his personality. He came from a fan to a wanter.

"Er,......that's awfully nice of you Eric. But uh.....I don't really want to be anyone's girl. Heh." You replied as you saw his face fall.

"Well....think about it. You already said yes to the duel. Back down and you lose that one star chip, AND, your innocence" (O_O) he stated as he held up his five cards.

Your eyes widened again. "My WHAT?!"

Eric blushed but waved his hand in front of him in defence, "No! Not like that! I meant you become mine!"

You gritted your teeth and held up your five cards too. "No way, am I gonna be yours!"

Eric smirked. For the first time he smirked. And he was god damn good at it. "Ok then. Let's see your moves. Prove yourself."

You drew a card. Somehow....you hated this guy now. "I summon Light Princess(1400ATK/1600DEF) in attack mode! And since I summoned her normally, meaning I didn't use a magic card (like Monster Reborn for example) to summon her, I get to summon her twin! Shadow Princess(1400ATK/1600DEF)! I end my turn. Let's see what ya got!"

(**Author's Note:** Again, if you want pictures, just ask. ^^ :3 Thanks.)

Eric stood there gaping. But then he stopped as soon as he started and drew his card smirking. "Good opening move. But not as good as this. Tear Shadow(1400ATK/1700DEF) in attack mode!"

(**Author's Note:** it's just an anime girl. who has a sword so..............yeah I think you can see that and plus I can't really find a picture to suit me so um if you have any good websites with a wide variety of anime pictures, guys and girls, please please please PLEASE MESSAGE ME! thank you! ^^ Help is appreciated! :))

"Attack the Light Princess!" he cried and Tear Shadow went in. It was supposed to be stalemate (lol. sp?) but your Light Princess blocked the attack with her sword. Eric gawked. You smirked. And Tear Shadow let out a cry of pain as she vanished.

Eric's jaw dropped. "Hey! How come my monster disappeared, and yours didn't?!"

You smirked. "Didn't you ever hear the saying, 'two heads are better than one'? Well, in this case, it's totally true. If my Light Princess and my Shadow Princess are BOTH out on the field, then any monster with equal or less than their attack points will get demolished. Simple." Eric glared at you and was about to say something but you remembered something else.

"Oh right and each time that happens, you lose 500 life points isn't that cool?" you said smiling as you watched Eric's life points drop.

**You: 2000 LP/Eric: 1500 LP**

Eric smirked and nodded, "That's a real good move. I play one card face down and hand it over to you."

You smirked and drew your next card. You still remembered all the monsters and even knew how to play. Egypt was different but it's still the same in some ways.

"Hmm..............I play one card face down and........end my turn. No moves today. Sorry." You said, placing one trap face down. You added a smirk to make it more intimidating.

Eric growled slightly but continued with his draw. His eyes suddenly changed to happy when he put his card down on the playing field. "Chain Swordsman(1650ATK/1600DDEF)! Attack the Light Princess!" (ME: again, just imagine a swordsman. xDDD lol. sorry again.) The swordsman did what he was told and lunged in for an attack. You bit your bottom lip as you watched your monster die into pieces. Your life points dropped.

**You: 1750 LP/Eric: 1500 LP**

"Hunh. Nice shot. But my Light Princess gets another ability." you stated. Eric gaped again. "That's right. When one princess goes to the graveyard, they don't leave without giving all their attack points to the other princess. So in other words, my Shadow Princess now has 2800 ATK points!" Your monster shifted from holding a katana to a full length sword, to show a change.

Eric sighed and hung his head low. "Man! Those two are horrible! I bet they're really rare too!"

You giggled, couldn't help yourself not to. "Of course they are." You stated, drawing a card. "Why wouldn't they be? But you never know, someone's probably got both of them right now...."

Eric shook his head. "Just keep duelling or you're automatically on me." He added a smirk. You grimaced. That's gross.

"Whatever," You said. "As you well know, I can attack you with full force from both my Princesses. Shadow Princess, attack his Swordsman!" Shadow Princess attacked and gave her sword a good cleaning before watching the Swordsman disappear. Eric kept gaping at his life points getting closer and closer towards zero.

**You: 1750 LP/Eric: 350 LP**

Eric growled, a little louder this time, "I'm down to a measly 350 life points! That's it! No more quick ways! I'm coming at you hard!" He drew his card and looked through his hand.

You pretended to shiver. "Ooooh.........I'm scared."

He glared daggers at you before placing one card face down. "I play the magic card, Effect Decreasion! Now I can get rid of an effect currently in play on your side of the field. And I think you know very well which one it'll be."

Your monster changed her posture again. She was back to holding a katana and her attack points went back down to 1400.

"'Oh no." You whispered to yourself.

Eric activated his face down. "I knew my monsters weren't going to stick around so this card came in handy. Resurrection!" A coffin appeared on the field and out came his Swordsman. Freshened up. Your turn for your jaw to drop. Eric threw away his whole hand and then said, "I have to discard every card in my hand to resurrect my Swordsman. Now that he's back, attack!" The Swordsman attacked your Shadow Princess and your lie points dropped by a few.

**You: 1500 LP/Eric: 350**

You glared at him. "That's a good move. But now you have no cards in your hands, or on the field. All I have to do is draw a strong enough monster, and your buddy goes, 'bye bye'" you drew a card, hoping for the best and started smiling widely. Eric slapped his forehead.

"This can't be good."

"You bet it isn't! I summon my second powerful monster, Sword of Deception(2000ATK/1800DEF)!" It was actually a person, holding a sword. But the sword usually gets by anything, so it's named after it. "Attack his Swordsman and wipe him out!"

(**Author's Note:** Again, want a picture? Message me. Oh and by the way, you might want to keep a note on how your monsters look because they will come again and again later on the series and beyond. So yeah. ^^ Thanks.)

The girl lunged in for an attack and sliced right through Eric's monster. The rest of Eric's life points, crusted into nothing.

**You: 1500 LP/Eric: 0000 LP **xDDD

Eric held his head and cried, "No! I couldn't have lost!"

You snapped back at him, "Well you did! Now get your sick mind out of here!" You got his star chips and clipped them onto your glove. He shoved his cards into his pant pocket. and rose a hand for you. You hesitantly thought for a moment when you crossed your arms and stood there. He sighed and retreated his hand.

"That was a good duel. Well. Hope to see you guys soon?" You scowled and turned around to head back to the group, who were gaping. Well............Joey was....anyway. xD

Eric smirked and turned around to walk his own way. 'We'll meet again Sarah.......I promise you."

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked this chapter! Reviews are appreciated! :)


	11. A Throbbing Head and Then a Passout

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter 10. Hope you like it. Beware of some language. ^^

**

* * *

**

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 10**

"That ass is such an ass...I want to kick his ass!" you stated dumbly as you walked back towards everyone.

Joey gaped. "You...you beat him...that fast?"

You shrugged. Tristan patted his friend's back. "Dude. She's a pro."

You shrugged again. "Aww Tristan. You don't know that. I don't know that. Who knows. Maybe one day, I'll lose my head."

(ME: Just a note. Something to keep you tempting. Something will happen between you and the rest of the gang in the Battle City season. JUST LETTIN' YA KNOW! SO KEEP READING! ^^)

Yugi shook his head. "Don't worry Sarah. There's no way." You smiled and merely nodded, trying to hold on to that one happy thought.

**CURRENT STATUS: Yugi: 5 star chips, Joey: 2 star chips, You: 4 star chips**

* * *

You looked towards the gang and sighed. "So...what's next? Do we just...walk around or something?"

Yugi shrugged. "I guess. We'll have to be on a lookout for more duelists."

The whole group nodded and began walking around the area. Past trees, another clearing, past some more trees and into another clearing until you saw Joey jump in the corner of your eyes.

"Joey? What's wrong?" you asked him suddenly worried. He looked around him and took a step closer to you.

"I...suddenly had the feeling we were being followed." He said quietly.

You cocked an eyebrow. "Followed? Joey!" you cried as he started walking briskly towards the front of another clearing. "Where are you going?"

He looked over his shoulder nervously. "To go stalk them!" he said, and he was off. Running mindlessly to anywhere his feet took him.

On one side, you had to stay with Yugi, on the other, you couldn't let Joey wander on his own alone.

"Joey!" You suddenly called after him. He didn't turn back so you did the only thing coming to your mind. You ran after him.

You heard Yugi call out your name. You told him that you'd find Joey and bring him back.

~A LITTLE WHILE LATER~

Joey had come to a stop at a waterfall near the end of a clearing. You ran up next to him and doubled over catching your breath.

Joey looked to you embarrassed. "Er...sorry Sarah. I think I was just being paranoid."

You laughed. "Doesn't matter...what matters is that we're gonna go back to—"

You were cut off by someone tapping on your shoulder. You hesitantly looked behind you and let out a small gasp. Joey was in front of you almost immediately.

"Hey! Watch who you poke!" Joey said defensively. He suddenly gulped and looked over his shoulder towards you, giving you a worried glance.

You understood immediately. This was probably one of the guys Joey and Yugi were talking about on the boat, the one that'll give anyone trouble.

"What do you want?" Joey demanded. The guy in front of him had brown hair and looked like he should belong in a gang. He smirked and shrugged as he raised his arm and punched Joey in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

"Joey!" you cried out of pure spite. "What's the big idea—"

Someone else was with this guy. This one had orange hair and glasses. He grabbed your arms and pinned them behind you with one hand. He used the other one to gag you with a wet towel. That was not an ordinary towel. It contained a liquid that slowly made you sleepy. Your eyes closed and you were in darkness.

(**Author's Note:** Err...O.O I don't know what that liquid is called. Sorry. But if you know the name, please message me about it! Thank you! ^^)

~...DUNNO WHERE YOU ARE. xDDD~

Your mind slowly regained consciousness. Your eyes fluttered open and you merely looked around. It looked like a cave, but you weren't sure.

"Boss. Looks like the girl's up." A voice said off to your right. You tried looking towards the source, but can only wince as a sharp pain raged through your head. You reached for it and tried sitting up, leaning against the wall behind you for support.

"Wh-where am I?" you asked no one in particular.

A man with blonde hair and sunglasses on bent down in front of you. "You're in my world. Where no one but I can win and the other person...well...doesn't. Now unless your blonde friend over there wins this duel, you and him aren't going anywhere."

Your eyes widened and you immediately looked around for any signs of Joey. He was still unconscious and sitting on one end of a duelling platform. You sighed and crossed your arms, ignoring the pain still throbbing in your head. "What are you talking about? You're also blonde. But I don't mean hair colour wise."

The guy scoffed and took you by the collar of your shirt and rose you to your feet. You grimaced. "You shouldn't be a smart ass down here." He hissed. "You can get hurt. Especially if you're the girl and the guy is still on the floor."

You gritted your teeth and held up as his grip tightened. You wanted to yell to Joey, but he was already on his feet at the sound of you wincing.

"SARAH? WHERE ARE YA?" He yelled suddenly VERY worried. He looked around hastily and spotted you. "Hey! LET HER GO!"

The blonde guy holding you up looked to Joey and smirked. "Sure." He stated slickly as the grip on your shirt was lightened. You fell to the ground gasping for air.

Joey was about to run off the platform until the guy who had held you up shouted. "Don't even try to get off! You have to win the duel for your girlfriend here to survive."

Joey ignored that bit. "Sarah. Are you alright?"

You groaned and rubbed your head. "Yeah...I'm good."

The guy blinked. "Wait a minute. YOU'RE Sarah Wind? The Duelling Legend? Oh god. Boys? Looks like you've done something...worthwhile." the other guys smirked as they glanced towards you. You scooted ever so slowly towards the wall behind you.

"Don't even THINK about touching her!" Joey yelled out of pure hatred. The men looked back and simply shrugged.

"Ok. But you gotta win. And Bandit Keith and his minions don't go easy on anyone." The blonde stated.

You looked over to Joey. "Come one Joey! You can do this!" You shouted, trying to cheer him up.

He looked to you solemnly. He didn't want to duel to get to you. (ME: That sounds so cute. :3 xD) He wanted you out of harm's way as soon as possible. But since these guys weren't going to let him, he took out his duel deck and nodded in determination towards you.

You smiled and watched him turn towards his opponent. He jumped about a foot in the air as he saw his face. "GAH! Dude! What the hell is that?"

You looked up and stifled a laugh. "Joey? I think one of Keith's friends forgot that Halloween's over."

Joey spluttered out laughing while the guy on the other side of the room growled.

Keith took your collar again and bashed you into the wall. "You think you're real funny don't ya." He said with the upmost hatred.

You grunted and tried loosening his grip but it only got a bit tighter. "Uh-Ya. Ya I think I'm funny. Gotta problem with that?" you said sarcastically.

Keith bashed you again. Joey looked back and almost went after him, "KEITH! PUT HER DOWN! RIGHT NOW!"

Keith let go of you and you fell to the floor. He brushed his hands and sat down on a rock beside you. He took a handful of your hair and pulled back, making you wince in pain. "Fine!" he said, making his final decision right now. "But if you don't duel you'll lose her, and if you don't win, she's not with you anymore. Got that? She's been pissing me off with her attitude and now this is how she gets a thank you!" Keith unexpectedly, took out a knife and put it to your throat. You took in a sharp breath.

Joey's eyes widened. "No...Keith...please. I beg of you...I'll-I'll duel ya, ok? Just...just don't hurt Sarah. Please." He held his hands together and quickly took off two star chips. "I'll stake up all my chips. Ok? Just...put the knife down."

Keith shrugged and pocketed the knife back, but he still kept a firm grip on your hair.

You looked to Joey scared. It wasn't going to end here...was it?

"Bones?" said Keith towards the guy on the other side of the platform. "Kill him."

~FF TO MIDDLE OF DUEL~

So...right now, Bones had this humongous pumpkin thing out on the field that raises the attack points of his zombies each turn. Joey was stumped. He couldn't think a way out of this! Because every time he destroyed a zombie, it would come back to life, but even stronger. You even had your doubts.

You suddenly heard footsteps from the cave's entryway and saw 4 familiar looking people run in. (**Author's Note:** You know...Tristan, Yugi, Bakura, and Tea.)

"Joey!" shouted Tristan. "You're ok! But...you're duelling and where's Sarah?"

Joey shakily turned around and pointed towards Bandit Keith. The grip on your hair tightened as he saw them walk in. "Well isn't this nice." He said in complete satisfaction that you would be killed in front of so many people. "You know this guy? And the girl?"

Yugi took a step forward when he saw Keith yanking at your head. "Hey! Let her go!"

Keith shook his head and jerked it towards Joey's direction. "Sorry Yugi, otherwise known as the person who beat Seto Kaiba, but Joey here will have to beat Bones and then you can have the girl's freedom back."

You gritted your teeth and some tears absentmindedly went down your cheeks. The pull on your hair really hurt. Your head was starting to throb now. Yugi clenched his teeth too. "But she has nothing to do with this! Let her go!"

Keith shrugged, plainly amused at Yugi's tries. "No can do. A deal's a deal. Joey should've said no if he knew this was happening."

Joey abruptly turned on his heel. "I never even said yes. I still wish it was a no. You're an ass Keith. And a real rotten one too."

You laughed softly to yourself at the joke. Keith growled and pulled you up, by your hair. You let out a yell of pain. Out of stimuli, everyone yelled out your name. Keith brought you back down and your eyes were blurring.

Yugi clenched his fist and for a second, there was a bright white light, and in front of you stood Yami. (ME: I know he doesn't come during Joey's duel here but I'M MAKING IT HAPPEN SO HAH! :P)

"Joey will win. Don't worry Sarah. I have faith in him. You should too." He said in a soft, soothing voice.

You nodded. "I had faith in him from the moment this all began Yugi. I know he can win. Or...I'm good. Don't worry about me." You looked back at his face softly.

He thought for a moment. Then he merely nodded and turned back to Joey. "We found something outside that helped us find the two of you."

Joey blinked. "What'd ya find guys?

Tristan suddenly dug around his pockets and took out a square shaped item. He threw it over to Joey who caught it and looked at it quizzically. "It's your wallet. Think about what you're fighting for." Tristan said.

Joey looked puzzled. He opened his wallet and he understood what Tristan had meant. A picture of Serenity, Joey's sister, was tucked away in a folding of the material. He sighed and looked over to everyone thankfully. "Thanks guys. I'm not about to forget why I'm here. I'll win this duel, for Serenity and for Sarah." I think he liked that part, because he turned around immediately and drew his card, a smile lingering on his lips. You smiled yourself.

He had drawn his card and looked at it for a second. You wondered what it was. Joey suddenly started smiling widely and he looked to Bones. "Duuuuude! I'm gonna throw you out!"

Bones looked dumbfounded, "But...my zombies are unstoppable. What are you talking about?"

Joey put down a card, "I first play Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" The knight appeared and Bones laughed.

"But even if you do attack, my zombies will just come back even stronger! You're losing it!"

Joey shook his head and put down another card. "Did I say I was done? I also play a spell card called Shield and Sword! Every monster's attack and defence points are switched. Since your zombies have 0 defence points, they're attack points become 0 now! Attack Gearfried!"

The knight lunged in for an attack and sliced down the huge pumpkin. That also brought down all the zombies. Bones was on his knees weeping about his lost.

"Bones? You lost? How could you?" Keith cried as he stood up, letting go of your hair.

Joey quickly took his share of the star chips and ran straight over to you, who was sitting with your head in your hands.

He bent down in front of you and placed both his hands on both your shoulders. "Sarah?" He asked. "Are you alright?"

You forced a smile and slowly nodded. The pain in your head still hurt like hell, and you were scared you were gonna fall any second. "Yes...I'm fine. Thank you Joey." You said just before giving him a hug.

Joey blushed, but hugged you back. He helped you up and walked you over towards the others. Yugi, Tristan, Tea and Bakura quickly ran over to you with worried expressions on their faces. (Yami changed back to Yugi. XP By the way.)

Yugi slung your arm around his shoulders and so did Joey, helping you to walk and take the route out. "Are you ok Sarah? I bet your head hurts really badly." Yugi asked.

You groaned. "It hurts more than seeing Joey's opponent play Duel Monsters...Including his face. Did you see that? It was horrible!"

Joey grinned, happy to have the almost old Sarah back. "So er...where to now? We were knocked unconscious so we don't know where ta go." You nodded apologetically to Yugi and the rest.

You guys ended at a break in the road, a left path and a right path. Bakura suddenly stopped in front of one of the pathways and held up his Millennium Item. Yes his Millennium Ring. It glowed and you felt the spirit's presence all of a sudden. You grimaced and held your head. It felt like it would fall off and shatter into a million pieces.

Joey saw this and held you in front of him. "Sarah? What's wrong?"

You close your eyes tight, trying to fight the sudden sound filling your ears. "I know you're here..." the voice purred through your mind. "It's about time too. I was wondering when you would come back, so I can continue to finish what I haven't been able to in the past..."

You gulped and felt woozy. Your vision blurred and all you can see in front of you was a worried Yugi and Joey and the same voice laughing manically in the background. Your eyes slowly closed and you collapsed, falling into darkness again.

~NO ONE'S PART. NARRATOR~

Joey tried looking into your eyes to see what was going on. Suddenly your eyes closed and you fell into his arms. He looked horrified,

"Sarah!" Tea cried. "What happened? Is she ok?"

Yugi shook his head and put a hand to your forehead. "It might have been from Bandit Keith...other than that I think she's ok."

Joey shifted your body so that you were being carried bridal style. He was blushing the whole time...just the tiniest bit. xDDD

"I'll carry her from here, until she gets better at least." Joey announced to the gang. They nodded and turned back to Bakura who said that his Millennium Ring was tugging him ina certain direction.

Tristan scratched his head. "Hey Bakura...What is that thing anyway?" he asked curiously as he pointed to Bakura's neck, holding the Millennium Ring.

Bakura blinked. "Oh this?" he asked as he held it up. "It's a Millennium Item from Egypt. My father had given it to me. The man he bought it from said that it had something to do with Duel Monsters but I never figured that out. It's said to contain magical powers and right now it seems to me that it's tugging me in this direction."

Yugi blinked. "Millennium? Like...My Millennium Puzzle? Are there more of them Bakura?"

Bakura shrugged and continued to walk towards the right. "I don't really know Yugi, but maybe."

'And once I obtain them...Sarah and the Pharaoh won't stand a chance...'

**

* * *

**

Author's Note:

Ohh...what's gonna happen? (lol) Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Reviews are appreciated. :) 


	12. Twin Trouble

**Author's Note: **Well, here's chapter 11. Watch out for some language. And enjoy! :)

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 11**

**CURRENT STATUS: Yugi: 5 star chips, Joey: 4 star chips, You: 4 star chips**

_The room around you was a light brown that sparkled like sand does under the sun. A wall of the room wasn't there, instead it was being held up by pillars made by the same substance as the rest of the room. There were a few rows of small desks and chairs going vertical from the point of view this was being viewed from, the front of the room on the far forward._

_A girl walked in from the door on the right. She looked around the room in wonder and found herself looking at the far distance, towards the wall held up by pillars. The scene after that showed a vast desert and on the other side of the room, where the door is, there is the bustling of the city and market._

_The girl stood still in front of the door. She was holding something in her hand. It was long, slick and a soft pink colour. On the top was a diamond shaped stone with the same colour and sparkle as one. She merely kept looking out towards the distant sand and blinked. She began walking towards it, and had just passed a pillar when everything shattered. Your flashback of a single memory went back to darkness._

* * *

~NARRATOR~

Joey kept a firm hold on you as he walked with your body limp in his hands. From time to time, as they walked down the tunnel Bakura lead them through, he kept looking down at you sympathetically. Tristan put a hand on his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "Don't worry man. She'll wake up."

Joey looked away, shadows covering his eyes. "But it's my fault she's like this. If only I hadn't been so paranoid before we got into this mess. I'm such a fool!"

Yugi had stopped walking and looked to Joey, giving him a hard look. "Joey, paranoia is something everyone gets from time to time. It's natural. Don't think it's your fault, because it's not."

Joey sighed, still not so sure.

Suddenly a hand reached up to his face and held his nose like mums do with their kids to tell them they're cute. "'Ey!" cried Joey trying to pull his nose from your sudden grip. "What gives? How long have you been awake for?"

You giggled, "Long enough to do this. No duh." Everyone laughed as you came back to life.

Joey merely glared as he held your body away from his own. He meant to scare you into thinking he would drop you but you immediately let go of his nose and grabbed for his shirt anyway. And blushed. He blushed too. He slowly laid you down on the floor and kneeled beside you. "How do you feel?" he asked softly.

You held your head and thought about it closing your eyes. You opened your eyes again and smiled towards him, "Much better thanks. That's why I can do this." You wrapped your arms around his neck and hugged him close. You could feel him slowly begin to hug you back. You could also hear everyone giving the both of you a faint awe.

Tristan kneeled beside you too and placed a warm hand on your shoulder, asking you, "Are you sure you're alright? What about your head?"

You shrugged and rubbed your head. "I think its good." you said weakly.

Yugi's turn to kneel on your other side. Without saying a word, he put a hand on your forehead. You could feel your cheeks get hot but you kept still. He nodded and stood up. "Her temperature's gone down. She'll be ok. Can you walk?" He held out a hand towards you.

You gratefully took it and pulled yourself up. "Yes. I think I can walk now. Hey Bakura! Where're you takin' us?" you called over.

He turned around, still holding up his Millennium Ring. "Down this corridor, but the walls look different now..."

You blinked and ran up to him. He took you towards a wall to his left and you ran your hand over the surface. "Hey." You observed. "These walls look..........handmade." You turned to the rest of the group. "Civilization!" you yelled towards them and then dashed down the corridor grinning like a fool.

Tristan blinked and then looked back at everyone else. "Well...........see ya!" he started running too, catching up to you in a matter of seconds.

Yugi anime sighed. "Come on guys. We'd better make sure, one, they don't get lost and, two, they don't do anything stupid."

Joey crossed his arms and began walking behind everyone else. "Knowing them.....they're probably already there." He muttered under his breath.

You were the first to walk backwards. As you came up to everyone, you anime sweat dropped. "There's uh........a break into I don't know.........about a million different directions! Heh."

Bakura chuckled. "Just stay behind me. You'll be fine, but er............what about Tristan?"

You blinked.

Tea sighed in aggravation. "Ya know. Tall guy, brown hair, and the guy you ran off with into a race?"

You blinked again.

Joey unexpectedly came up in front of you and placed both his hands on your shoulders. He had a sad look on his face which caught your attention. "Where's my buddy Sarah? What'd you do to him?"

(**Author's Note:** Haha! I'm so retarded I decided to add this part. xDDD *sly smile* :P)

You smirked towards him, which had caught HIM off guard. "Oh Joey." You said to him as slyly as you could. "He's gone." You licked your lips hungrily and watched for his reaction.

His face turned white and he merely blinked. Then he began laughing loudly and ruffled your hair. "Good try Sarah, but he's not about to give himself to you." You only glared and turned around to follow him. He was still laughing at your attempt to scare the crap out of him. Now that he knew he could trust you.

~AFTER A WHILE OF GOING THROUGH CORRIDORS AND CORRIDORS~

Bakura had now led the 6 of you to the dead of a corridor, but this one had a bright light illuminating it. Talk about a funny first dead end.

Then the light faded and what looked to be a wall turned into a room with a dueling arena in the center of it. You looked through it curiously. Tristan was held by the ear by Joey, who hadn't let him go since the incident of complete failure.

"You've entered into our territory!"

"To get out you have to win!"

"But it won't be easy going up against a set of twins!" (**Author's Note: **Oh hey, that rhymed. ^^')

You gulped. These 2 guys started doing a bunch of flips all over the place and then landed back on their feet.

You guys just blinked.

"So...we have to duel them?" Tea asked.

You nodded and took out your duel deck. "I guess so."

"My name is Para!" the one in the orange declared.

"And my name is Dox!" the one in green said after.

"And I'm the Queen of England! Can you PLEASE talk in a normal tone?!" you incorporated, getting annoyed. They began smirking.

"Ah, Sarah Wind." Para said, with his chin in his hand. "Mr. Pegasus has given every eliminator a chance to win your bounty, which is incredibly high I might add."

"The same goes for Yugi Mutou." Dox said, mimicking his brother's actions. "They are both very fine duelists. Do you think we can beat them brother?"

Para nodded, the smirk still playing on his face. "Yes we can, brother. They have no choice but to duel us if they wish to get out of this maze underground."

You crossed your arms as they began chuckling.

"Will three duelists come up to the arena please?" Dox said, indicating towards the end of the platform.

All of you just started to notice what the dueling platform looked like. The side where Para and Dox stood had two places for people while the opposite side had three. You blinked. 3 against 2? They were obviously expecting us. 'I wonder....maybe Pegasus is watching us?' you thought into your mind.

Yugi immediately changed into Yami. "I, for one, accept, and I will be honoured if Joey and Sarah fought by my side."

Joey took a step forward saying, "You got it bro."

You smiled and nodded. "Let's do this. I'll stake up 3 star chips." You declared and walked up to your end of the platform which was in the middle of the other two spaces, Joey and Yugi had already claimed the ones on the ends, which you considered was very protective of them but oh well........Yami's just that sexy.

"I wager 3 star chips." You said as you put down three from your glove.

"I'mma put out 2." Joey said calmly, putting down his own chips.

"And I will wager 3 star chips too." Yami declared as you watched him slowly put the chips down. He glanced your way out of curiosity and you quickly looked back to the Paradox brothers.

They began smirking almost immediately. "Well..." Para started. "That is 8 star chips in total. We will each put up 4 to equal it out." They did, and then they drew their hand. "Let the duel begin then?"

The three of you picked your hands too. "Let's do this." You said in unison with the other two.

So the duel started with each of you summoning a monster. Then the Paradox brothers pulled a fast one and played a monster card called Labyrinth Walls. It covered the field and created a maze. It led to them automatically, but you can only move the number of spaces to the number of stars your monster has. Throughout the whole duel, you and the brothers had had your fair shares of good moves but they pulled an even bigger hat trick. They were able to summon The Gate Guardian......same class as Exodia!

"How in the world are we going to beat that thing?" you asked curiously, to no one in particular.

Joey shook his head. "I dunno, but maybe Yugi's got a plan! What about it pal?" he said turning to towards Yami's direction.

He was actually deep in thought, looking over his cards. He didn't hear Joey. He was just about to shout it out again when you held up your hand. "Wait Joey." You said breathlessly after taking a quick look at the field. Yugi's Summoned Skull and Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon were summoned and you looked back to one of your classes in Egypt........it was when you were learning of different monsters and on that particular day, your class had been learning about two monsters fused together. One example was of a Summoned Skull and a Red-Eyes Black Dragon—

You quickly turned your head to your right, trying to steal a glance from Yami. He saw the flick of your hair and looked up towards you. You motioned your eyes towards the two monsters. He looked up and then began smirking as he brought his gaze back to yours. He waved a finger at you, saying, 'Nice'.

"You are about to lose Para and Dox, because my friends and I have a strategy ready to use to beat your Gate Guardian!"

They looked to him in shock. "You can't possibly! It's impossible!"

Yugi shook his head and raised a card up to show them, "Not if I use Polymerization to fuse Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon together! To transform them into—"

The two monsters glowed a bright white and began swirling around into different colours, at last turning itself into—

"—the Black Skull Dragon!" Yami cried out as the monster appeared onto the field, looking majestic with its skulled body and sharp claws, but something else caught your attention, the attack points.

You turned your attention back to Yami, you knew you had a card face down, and that it would help, but you wanted to catch his glimpse before to make sure it was ok.

He looked a bit worried, because now the Paradox brothers were laughing manically at his failed attempt. You were about to put a stop to their rant before Joey played something.

"I play the spell card, Dragon Nails!" Joey said as he flipped his card over. "To raise the Black Skull's attack points to 3800! That gives him enough power to destroy your Guardian!"

"But to make sure this duel ends now," you said as you flipped your trap card over, Yami had turned his gaze up towards you, "I play Fellowship of Raising! It raises Skull Dragon's attack points by 1000 so now it has 4800! Your life points are down to 0." To make it official, you pointed your thumb down as if saying, 'Game Over'.

The Dragon attacked at the Gate Guardian fiercely and saw it crumble right in front of your eyes. The Paradox brothers gasped in malicious surprise and watched their life points drop to that one dreaded number that isn't even a number, 0.

"Yesss!" you cried out to the Heavens. "We can FINALLY get out of this—underground prison!"

The Paradox brothers meekly gave you the 3 star chips you put up against them, the other three star chips for Yugi, and the 2 star chips for Joey. The three of you gave each other hi 5s and smiled. When your hand collided with Yami's, he held on for a little while longer, just holding your gaze in his too. You looked back into his eyes just the same.

'I haven't looked into them in a long time...I wonder if maybe, in the depths of his heart, there's a memory of me somewhere...'

"You guys! You did it!" Tristan cried as he met up with the rest of you. You smiled back at him, just happy at his enthusiasm all of a sudden.

"There are two doors on both our sides. Which one will you take?" Para inquired, adding a sly smile suddenly.

You took a hasty step forward, "Hey! You never told us about any of this door crap!" Yami quickly held you back, in case you did something vile.

They snickered. Dox said, "Well we had to make ourselves trickier. Now, which one will it be? Just remember that one door leads outside and the other leads to an endless maze underground."

You gritted your teeth. Imagine yourself roaming around the mazes until you died because of one horrible decision. You couldn't live through that.

But Yami had other plans. He actually had one. He slowly let go of your arms and took out two coins and a marker. You watched over his shoulder as he wrote the insignia of the Paradox brothers on each coin. On one coin though, he put both of them on.

"Whichever coin I leave clenched in my fist is the door we will choose." He stated, holding his fists out in front of him. You held your breath. He was taking a risk, but you knew he had ways of doing things. Like back in Egypt, his strategies were unbeatable and cunning.

Para raised a brow at him in his curious wake. Dox kept watching him intently.

Yami looked from one hand to the other. You could actually feel the intensity of his thinking and creativity. He had something planned to throw them off.

Finally, he opened his left fist, letting everyone know that the coin in his right hand was his decision. The Paradox brothers look at it in anticipation. Yami slowly opened his right hand it was the insignia of Dox's door. They started laughing and you felt your stomach lurch.

"That is your final decision?" Para asked incredulously.

Yami shrugged. "Would you like to show us the right door then?"

Dox laughed manically and motioned with his head towards Para's door. "It was my brother's door the whole time! You'll be wandering the labyrinth underground forever!"

Yami shook his head and smirked. Then he showed the coin, both sides of it to the Paradox brothers. They gasped. It was the coin with both insignias, so technically he chose both doors, which means he never picked the wrong door. (**Author's Note:** At least that's what I think happened. :( lol. Sorry if I'm wrong.) "We're out then." Yami stated as he looked to them. They were shaking with rage; at being defeated and getting themselves beat at their own game. The 6 of you walked towards the door and slammed it shut behind you.

You never had your doubts...even though it seemed like it, but the whole time, you had some faith for him. He used to be a pretty cunning person in Egypt leaving his enemies into thinking he was in one place but he was really in the other or what he just did can also be used as an example. He was just learning to get his envisionment of where he was. It was going to take a while...but it'll happen. NO MATTER WHAT.

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked that chapter. Reviews are appreciated! :)


	13. Capture

**Author's Note: **Well.......here's chapter 12. Hope you like it. I think there's no language, but be careful just in case. Thanks. ^^'

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 12**

**CURRENT STATUS: Yugi: 8 star chips, Joey: 6 star chips, You: 7 star chips**

* * *

You guys walked through a corridor that was supposed to lead you outside, but it seemed like it was taking forever.

You groaned as you crossed your arms across your chest and kept walking forward. "Isn't this ever gonna end? I'm starving!" You suddenly perked your head up. "Oh hey, where'd my duffel go? Oh god! Keith's goons knocked me dead and I left it back at the clearing!"

Yugi looked back at you. "Don't worry Sarah. You dropped it when you ran after Joey and then we—"

You held your head in your hands. "How could I be so dumb? I left it back at the clearing!" you ranted on.

Yugi stopped in his tracks and so did the whole group. "Sarah, you didn't forget it. We got it—"

"Waaaaahhh!!"

"SARAH!" Joey yelled and grabbed a hold of your shoulders. You stopped ranting and looked back at him shocked.

"Heh. Wow. You're-you're strong." You said, pretend stuttering.

He blushed and gingerly let you go. You faced Yugi and took some calm breaths. "I'm sorry Yugi. What was that you were saying?"

He smiled and shook his head in disbelief at you. "It's alright, and what I was going to tell you was that we picked up your bag for you."

You blinked. "R-r-really?!" you asked incredulously.

He couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah of course we did. Hey Tea, you still have it right?"

For the first time that walk, you noticed Tea holding your baby blue coloured duffel bag. She handed it over to you and you quickly hugged it to your chest. "Oh Ra...Thank god." You muttered under your breath. You unzipped the top of the bag and rummaged around its contents. "We still have some food left." You said to the others. Joey and Tristan of course started cheering to themselves. Then you came across what you were looking for. They were still there, in their light leather boundings and white silk pages. You took them out and looked through them.

Yugi rose a brow at you. "Hey Sarah? What's that you're holding?"

You looked up to him, a little saddened at the pages you flipped though your fingers. You held it up to him and his eyes widened. "These--these are my parents' passports."

Joey, Tristan, and Tea looked over Yugi's shoulders to see the pictures. Your mum and dad's passports were like any other passport, but there was also a picture of them both smiling at each other that you kept in between the pages. It was the only picture you had of them. Ishizu had given it to you when your soul returned to your body.

They weren't alone though. In each of their arms was a child. A boy and a girl. Everyone immediately figured that your mum was the one holding you, but the other child confused them. The picture of the picture (lol) is at the very bottom of this part. :D

"Uh.....Sarah?" Joey questioned. You knew what was coming. "Who's dat?" He pointed towards the boy in your father's arms.

It took all of your strength to look up towards that picture. The sight of it made your eyes sting. You quickly looked back down and made sure your eyes were covered by your hair.

You felt someone's hands on your shoulders and you glanced upwards to see Tristan's eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked solemnly.

You slowly gave him a nod and hastily wiped your eyes on your wrists. "It's--he's just a family friend. Who came to visit us." You can tell they were still going to question, but they didn't push it onto you. Yugi gave you back the passports with the picture still in them carefully.

"My family. My once happy family--" you broke off as you choked back tears.

Joey put his arm on your back and ran it up and down, trying to comfort you, but the dread that was hidden within your heart couldn't be forgotten. I'll tell you all about your brother later, ;D

(**YOU:** Wait a minute! . I have a brother?! **ME:** Yes you do, but I'm going to tell you more about it later on....like somewhere in the Battle City Tournament or something. ^^' **YOU:** Ok fine.... I'LL BE WAITING! **ME:** . COOL! lol. xDDD **YOU:** ^_^)

"Come on." Tea said walking beside you. "We should head back up before we...run out of air." You smiled at her try at changing subjects.

"Thanks for holding onto my duffel Tea." You said to her. (**Author's Note:** Mental note: The writer, me, was the one throwing stuff at Tea. lol. sorry. It was not your character. xDDD CARRY ON!)

She smiled towards you and nodded. "It's no problem."

"Hey!" Joey cried out, suddenly dashing towards an upcoming light that popped out of nowhere. "Civilization!"

You got an anime anger mark on your head. "Not cool! My line!" You were about to take a step forward but then thought twice about it. "Naw....I'm not gonna chase him this time." But then you noticed everyone else running towards the exit. You anime sighed and shot up your hands running after them. "Hey! Wait for me!" Your mind changed its mind from being sad to happy, but you knew you'll mourn for them later on again.

The bright outdoor sunlight streamed down your guys' happy faces, of finally being out of that hell hole. Thank god no one was claustrophobic. That would have been a problem. You twirled around in the sunlight and then felt yourself trip onto the grass.

Joey loomed over you curiously. "Eh......you alright there?"

You smiled and turned to your side closing your eyes. "I was underground for a long time and not to mention with you and Tristan so I'm just glad I'm finally outside in the sun." you said all at once and grinning.

Joey blinked. Then he shrugged and stretched his arms to the sky. You still had your eyes closed so you didn't exactly know what he was doing, but he went with it anyway. You felt a sudden pressure on top of you and shot your eyes open. Joey was lying down on the grass beside, with his legs on you and then the top half of his body on the ground in front of you. You blushed but he only grinned evilly. "You make a fun pillow."

You glared at him. 'At least he said 'pillow' and not--'

"Er....you guys ok? Joey! Give a lady some room! Control your hormones!" Mai yelled coming into view all of a sudden.

Joey started blushing now and it was your turn to start grinning. "Don't worry Mai. We didn't do anything." You said as you sat up, letting Joey's legs fall into your lap. You squinted at him and he shrugged.

He looked up to Mai who was still in front of you. "So. What's up?"

She blinked and shook her head. Joey immediately moved his legs off you and stood up, thinking if he didn't move. she'll beat the crud out of him.

You got up too, just as Mai chuckled. "Well, actually, it's a duel for you Joey."

(**Author's Note:** NOW I KNOW JOEY GETS THE RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON FROM REX BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT SO THAT THEY MEET BEFORE THE PARADOX BROTHERS' DUEL. PLUS I WANTED EVERYTHING TO FIT! I'M REALLY SORRY! SO THIS IS GOING TO BE A NORMAL DUEL WITH OUT THE TRADING THING THEY DID IN THE SHOW! AGAIN REALLY SORRY! BUT THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING! :3)(Oh and then there was the Lava and Swamp Battle Guards. Sorry guys, I couldn't find a way to fit it in. :()

"A duel?" he asked blinking. Then he took out his duel deck and held it firmly in his hand. "With who?"

Mai stepped aside to reveal a short guy with brown hair at the back and a soft purple coloured hair at the front. (ME:...I THINK that's how it goes... xP) He let a smirk play on his lips as he tilted his cap in respect.

"You look familiar." you observed as he ran his eyes over your group. They landed on you and then he shrugged.

"Where have you seen me?"

"You're Rex Raptor." you said nonchalantly. "The guy who Weevil beat in the tournament."

Yugi was next to you in a flash. In case you haven't noticed, he doesn't like it when you say 'Weevil'. xD "You're right. It IS Rex. How are your duels going?" I think it was just sarcasm playing in his voice.

He merely shrugged, "Pretty good. Mai here said that a really good duelist was Joey so I decided to see if it was true."

Joey smirked and said, "Thanks for noticing. Oh and by the way, let's do it."

The platform for this duel appeared from the ground. Joey took one side and then Rex walked to his opposite side. They both drew their hands and their life point counters went up to 2000.

~DUEL SUMMARY~

So Rex had all these powerful dragons. Big deal right? Joey knocked them down one by one with his card tricks. There was one dragon that gave him a bit of trouble, and that was his Serpent Night Dragon, but by using his Time Wizard, Joey was able to beat him. (**Author's Note:** haha. I'm not proud of the change. sorry guys. :()

Rex held his head. "No! How did I get beaten by an amateur! Mai!" he turned to her. "You're not getting that duel he shouted.

Mai huffed. "It's a good thing too because you were weak anyway. See ya later dino loser!" She waved to the rest of you wan walked away.

You blinked. "Wow. Joey won....two more star chips?"

Joey came up to you guys grinning like a fool. "Hey yeah I did. Why are you so surprised?"

You shrugged mindlessly and scratched your head. "It's not that.....it's just....taking my mind a while to adjust to."

He was going to move on you but you rose your hands up in defense. "I meant that you've improved Joey! Not that you're weak! Please don't hurt me." :3

He smiled and merely patted your back before stretching his arms and saying finally. "We should......uh........I don't know what we should do." Blink.

You couldn't help but start laughing and when you stopped everyone looked at you like you were nuts. "Well uh...." you stuttered."We should probably head towards the castle and see if there are any other duelists there."

**CURRENT STATUS: Yugi: 8 star chips, Joey: he put two star chips up for Rex's duel so now he has 8 star chips, You: 7 star chips**

Yugi nodded and the group started heading for it. You were walking right behind them when suddenly someone came up and put their hand over your mouth. You let out a muffled scream and your duffel tumbled to the floor. You grabbed for the person's hands and tried prying them off but they only held on harder.

The other guys didn't hear you. You tried screaming again but it was still muffled. Trying not to move so much, you took off one of your shoes and kicked as hard as you can towards the others. It unexpectedly, and regretfully, hit Joey in the head. He spun around annoyed but then you saw the worst kind of fear in his eyes. He almost lost his voice screaming, "HEY! LET HER GO!" Tristan turned around too and had the same look on his face. They made a run for the guy holding you, but then two other people came up in front of them. Joey rolled up his sleeves and aggressively pulled them apart. Tristan hadn't even seen him this pissed. The two guys went back to the safety of their boss with broken bones and bleeding flesh. The guy holding you hostage merely scoffed at his companions' mishap.

Joey smirked and nodded towards Tristan. He nodded back and then the both of them came running at you and the guy. The guy started smirking too. He loosened the grip and roughly thrusted you to the floor to his right. Joey didn't stop as he raised his fist to the guy's face. The guy merely smirked and as fast as lightning punched Joey square in the stomach. (**Author's Note:** Wow. I can make Duelist Kingdom look............as gruesome as Battle City. :S lol. xD)

"Joey!" You cried as you staggered to your feet. There was another guy right behind you, and he took you by the shoulders. As much as you struggled, you couldn't break loose.

Joey got up to his knees and coughed some. A trickle of blood ran down from the edge of his mouth. "Jack ass." He hissed. "What do you want wit' Sarah?" He took the back of his hand and wiped the blood off. He was about to get up and try to land another punch but someone else came into view. Now you guys have seen at least 4 people in on it, but this guy, was familiar...

"_Eric?_" You asked completely shocked just as everyone else. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Eric only smirked and walked over to you. "What does it look like?" He complied. "I'm trying to win your heart."

You scoffed. "That's not how you win ANYONE'S heart. Not even a donkey's you ass." He gave you a hard look, as hard as metal being threatened to cut you open.

"You have to be nice to them. You have to care for them. You have to guide them with your own heart." You recited. It was something the priests back in Egypt told you. That to care about the Pharaoh, you'd have to do the following you just stated.

Eric raised his hands, "Of course! I'll do all of that after all these other guys accept the fact that you're mine."

You felt like taking a sledgehammer to his face and you were about to say something when Joey unexpectedly came up behind Eric and shoved him to the ground hard. The buff guy that had a hold on you earlier took Joey by the collar and raised him off his feet. The collar to his jacket was choking him and your stimuli thought ahead of you.

"Stop it!" you cried. "Can't you see it's hurting him? Stop it!"

Eric was back up in front of you. "Then let's duel. That's the only way I'm going to tell my buddy here to let your friend go."

"OK FINE!" You blurted out. "This one duel, and then you leave me and my friends the hell alone!"

Eric smirked and snapped his fingers. The guy holding Joey dropped him to the ground, leaving him sputtering.

You jerked your arms away from the person holding you and ran over to Joey. You held him by the shoulders.

Eric looked back at the guys. "Ryan." He called and the buff guy came up. "Take out your deck. We're dueling them." Ryan, nodded, and went over to a platform that just emerged from the ground.

"I'm so sorry Joey." You said, thinking that maybe coming to Duelist Kingdom and _competing_ was a bad idea.

He slowly rose from the ground and looked towards you, placing his hands on your shoulders. "Don't say that. It wasn't your fault, and it still isn't, ok?"

You looked down, afraid to meet his gaze.

"Oh and uh....Sarah isn't the one dueling." Eric said all of a sudden. "I'd like to give Yugi and Joey a try with a tag duel."

You gaped. "I'm not a prize Eric!" you shouted. "You can't win a person like this!"

Joey came into view, hiding Eric from your gaze. "Listen. You know as well as I do that he's not gonna listen."

You sighed. He was right. Eric wasn't going to let this go by.

"So let Yugi and me duel him." He said. "I don't want to lose you Sarah, like how you were about to go during Bones' duel. No one does. You mean so much to us. I know it's only been a week or so since we've met." He looked down, maybe searching for the right words? "And I'm speaking for all of us, there's something about you—"

"Are we dueling or trying to think of an escape plan?" Eric said, coming up beside the two of you.

You looked up at Joey and gave him a reassuring smile. "Ok Joey." You said. "You and Yugi? Go for it. I'm counting on you."

He smiled and nodded. Then he looked over to Yugi and said, "Come on Yug! We gotta duel!"

A bright light filled your eyesight for a second or two and then out of it came Yami. He nodded in Joey's direction and walked towards the platform with him. He stopped just in front of you and gave you a sympathetic look. You nodded and said, "It's ok. Just beat him." The corner of his lips curved into a small smile and he nodded back.

Eric and Ryan were already putting their decks onto the platform when Joey and Yami walked to their end of it.

"So... what'll it be men? How many star chips?" Eric said slickly.

Joey looked to his buddy, then back to Eric. "I'mma put 3 up." He declared.

Yami nodded and put down--, "I'll put up 4 of my own." He said. Ok, you were confused. Both of them only needed 2 star chips each. Why were they putting up more then what they needed?

The duel went on with them each battling their hardest. I'm sorry. I don't know how to put this duel together. :S

"Dark Magician! Attack Eric's Soldier and end this duel!" Yami cried out as his Magician went in for the attack. The Soldier dispersed and Eric's and Ryan's life points drop to 0.

Eric held his head, "I lost?! I can't possibly lose again!"

Joey was picking up the star chips they won when he heard what he said, "Well, you just did! Now leave Sarah alone! She's not a prize to be won, Eric!"

He only growled and shoved his deck into his pockets. He jumped off the platform and turned away from the rest of you, walking away from the direction the group and you were going.

"That was awesome!" You cried out. Yami changed back to Yugi, just in time for you to pummel the both of them to the ground. "My heroes." You said grinning.

They merely laughed and playfully pushed you off. "It was nothing Sarah." Yugi said.

"Yeah. That jerk didn't have a right to put you up like that." Joey concluded. Then he took out the 3 extra star chips that they won from out of his pockets. He showed them to you. "Here."

You gave him a questioning look. "What? You...you want me to take them?"

He nodded. :Yeah. We both put up more of our star chips so you can get some too."

Now you realized why they put up seven star chips in total. _3 of them were for you._

"B-but." You stuttered. "I...I can't take them."

Yugi blinked. "Why not?"

"Because I didn't earn them."

"But Yugi and I want you to have them!" Joey cried.

You looked to his palm and then back up to his face. "That was awfully nice of you guys, but you didn't have to do this. I didn't earn them."

Joey gritted his teeth, but when he took your hand, he took it gently. He placed the star chips into the palm of your hand and enclosed your fingers over the chips. "Please?" He pleaded. "We didn't want to leave you behind."

You were at a loss for words.

You tightened the grip on the star chips and looked up to them. "Thanks guys." You said. "I owe you."

Joey put an arm around your shoulders. "Naw. Forget about it! You calling us heroes...was enough!"

Yugi smirked. "Is that because you've hardly been called a hero Joey?"

Joey growled and turned on his friend, "You wanna go too Yugi?"

Yugi smiled and held up his hands in defense. "I was only kidding." He said defensively. "Of course you're a hero."

"You're one too Yugi. I thank you too." You said to him in a soft voice.

He turned around to look at you and smiled.

Tristan reached for the sky with his hands. "So.....you guys have all 10 star chips eh?"

The three of you blinked. Then jumped into the air. _**HE WAS RIGHT!**_You guys had enough star chips to get into the castle! So...what'll happen when you get inside? And how do you know that something else won't happen on the stairs up? We'll be back with The Beginning of a New Story in part 13! Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:** Well....that was chapter 12 for ya. Again...I'm REALLY REALLY sorry for not having Rex's duel before the Paradox brothers, but I personally couldn't fit it in. Really really sorry. I won't blame you if you hate me. :( Reviews please, and I'll understand if you write 'that was dumb'. But please don't be a lot of brutal.....I already feel so guilty. :( Thanks for reading though. 'Preciate it. :)


	14. Sarah Gives Something Up

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter 13! Hope you like it! :)

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 13**

You turned your head towards your right as soon as you first laid a foot onto the steps leading up to the castle. Yugi was standing a few feet away, staring up at their next destination in a daze. You felt a rush of sympathy towards him. He lost a part of his family....it was almost like losing a part of yourself. Your heart. You looked back at the memories of you showing the one picture that was close to your heart to the group, then the time you told them of your parents' death, and now the fact that it was your brother that was the one in the picture...not a family friend.

You fought the urge to cry. It took most of your strength, but you managed to bite back tears. You wiped your eyes in case any did make it out and then walked over to Yugi.

"So," You said, stopping right beside him. He looked back up towards you, wiping any feeling of loss off his face. "We've finally gotten 10 star chips, and we're standing right in front of the castle steps. Ready to go?"

Yugi sighed and looked down to his feet. "...Yeah...I mean now we're getting close, but I..."

You gave him a questioning look. "Yugi?" you asked. "Is something the matter?"

He looked back up to the castle and shrugged, "Lately...I've been feeling different."

"Have you ever thought that maybe it was the duels making you feel that way?"

"Actually...it IS the duels that are making me feel this way, because every time I play in one, I can't remember anything."

Your eyes widened slightly. Is he finally realizing about Yami? Or is he almost there? He can't remember anything? It could be Yami taking over and then leaving no hint of his existence but a funny feeling...

"So you think there's something different about you, huh?" you asked, raising your hands to the back of your neck and stretching your elbows to the sky.

Yugi kept looking ahead of him. "Actually Sarah...it's more than that, but you might think I'm crazy."

You shook your head violently. "I would never think you're crazy Yugi. You can tell me, and I will understand."

He looked a bit unsure but managed to say, "I feel...like there's someone else inside me...Pretty weird huh?"

Your eyes were widened again and you looked to the ground. 'Wow...So this is how I'd feel if he found out...or almost....anyway...' It was a funny mix of sudden loneliness, being filled to the top with a bit more hope. Then came how he would react...when you would tell him who you really were. All of this and more rushed up at you in a blaze. 'How would I tell him...?' came into your head too quickly.

"...Sarah?" you heard someone call. You blinked and came back to reality. Yugi was standing in front of you now, with a sudden worry filling his gaze. "Are you alright? I asked if you thought it was weird and you...blacked out there."

"Oh...I'm sorry Yugi." You said embarrassed. "I-I was actually thinking of how to say this—" You held his shoulders and said as clearly as you could, "You. Are. Not. Crazy! Or weird! 'Cuz guess what?"

He blinked and shrugged, "What?"

You were about to say what it was when Joey called from above. He was already halfway up the stairs and was waving down at the two of you. "You guys comin' or what?"

You sighed and slowly let go of Yugi's shoulders. "There's one thing I'll tell you." He gave you a funny look. You laid a finger onto his Millennium Puzzle and said, "You have to believe in the power of your Item."

He looked confused. It dawned on you that it was natural. You simply nodded in a reassuring way and ran towards the stairs, his hand in yours. "We should hurry." You said as the two of you dashed up the stairs, "If you wanna kick some butt and get your grandpa back we gotta run!" His mind was taking off the subject for a while, but you knew he was still thinking about it in the depths of his mind.

Joey started complaining about not having elevators on the way up, that someone as rich as Pegasus would have put them in. You smirked at him. "Well Joey, if it makes you feel any better....I'm tired of walking."

He gave you an incredulous look. "So...what exactly do you want me to do about that?"

You squinted at him and sighed. "OK...if you don't wanna have me RIDE your BACK I guess I'll just walk up the rest of the stairs....with my tired feet......and legs.........."

Joey eyed you suspiciously, then (yeah I know....hahaha. I felt retarded sorry) then his eyes went down to your legs and he swallowed hard.

Tristan wacked the back of your head playfully, "Stop flirting with him!"

You anime cried and held your legs in pain. "But they hurt!" you complained. Yugi and Tea laughed silently behind you.

Tristan rolled his eyes and pushed you from behind lightly to get you walking again. You ended up walking in front of everyone and leading the way up to the castle gates. Joey walked briskly beside you. You pinched his arm to get his attention and he looked to you. You swore you saw his cheeks tinted with pink.

(**Author's Note:** Sorry guys! I felt retarded and felt like putting that lil' part in as you guys climb the stairs. :P)

You smiled reassuringly towards him and he smiled back. Patting his arm, you guys walked up to the top.

The moment the door was on level with you guys, a shock rippled through the group. Someone was blocking your way.

"Seto Kaiba?" Yugi asked in disbelief.

You were gawking at him. 'He looks just like Priest Seto!' (ME: Mental note! I know its Priest Seth in the Japanese version, but I'm going by English version so HAH! lol. xDDD) 'It's his reincarnation!'

Yugi saw the way you were looking at him and cleared his voice trying to get your attention. "Umm.....Sarah? This is—"

"Seto Kaiba. CEO and President of Kaiba Corp. Also, holder of the title Duel Monsters Champion."

Everyone looked at you like whaaaa?

Joey pointed towards Kaiba, "You know this guy?" he asked.

You snapped back into reality and smiled sheepishly towards them. "Er.....he's all over the place isn't he? How could I not?"

If the group noticed it, they would've killed him, but Kaiba was giving you a very interested look.

(YOU: O.O What is he thinking? ME: Nothing dammit....he's just starting to think you're hot. YOU: .)

He held his chin his hand and was directing his gaze to yours. You were still gaping at him. Joey stepped in front of you and said defensively, "What do you want money bags?"

Kaiba ignored his question and walked over to you, pushing Joey aside. You took a step back out of habit.

"Aren't you Sarah Wind?" he asked, in a sweet voice. Joey almost gagged. "The Duelling Legend? It's a pleasure to meet you."

He held out a hand for you. You hesitated but decided to take it. "It's nice to meet you too Kaiba. It's an honour."

"The pleasure's all mine." He said as he didn't stop shaking your hand. His face was inches from yours now and you began to blush a little bit. You stopped shaking his hand looked to away from his face.

"Hey buddy-NOT." Joey inquired. "What do you want?"

Kaiba went back to being serious. "A rematch from Yugi, but this time, I wager star chips." He stated. He held some between his fingers. "5 of them."

Yugi clenched his fists. "No thanks Kaiba. I already have my 10, so step aside."

Kaiba didn't move. "No Yugi, Pegasus is mine, but if you want to go through, you'll have to beat me." Wow...he really wanted to go.

Yugi sighed in defeat, thinking that maybe Pegasus put Kaiba here as another eliminator-type-person. He was toying with him. That jerk.

"Fine." He said, taking out his duel deck from his pocket. "Let's get this over with."

The group didn't even have time to argue with Yugi, he just stepped up and followed Kaiba to the top of the castle walls. You and the gang stayed by on the side lines, with you looking anxious.

Kaiba took out what he called duel disks, in the shape of a disk. He said it was the latest in his technology and that they would be using them for their duel. Tea filled you in on how they met him while the two of them were talking.

Kaiba showed him how to use it and then Yami was there almost instantly. Your locket glowed, signalling his appearance and watched the duel start out.

~DURING THE DUEL~

Kaiba had summoned a really powerful monster just now. He combined all three of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons to form The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! It was....very shiny I can tell ya that. ;)

"That huge glowing dragon of hi has 4500 attack points?!" Joey cried holding his head in his hands.

"That's a lot..." Tristan said half-heartedly. He looked over to you, who was halfway over the sidelines, watching in anticipation. "Sarah...is there anyway Yugi can still beat him?"

You looked down and took in a breath. "That dragon IS strong, but you have to have faith. Maybe he'll turn out to get something even stronger?" Tristan looked back to the duel. You wouldn't blame him. Yugi's deck was infected with the Crush Card Virus and now he couldn't summon anything higher than 1500 attack points. That was a brutal move, and it didn't look like Yugi would be able to win but there has got to be something! Yami was clever. He'll think of something.

This was a first. And it was a really good move. Yugi (and when I say 'Yugi', I mean 'Yami' sorry guys for confusion. :S) summoned the Kuriboh in defence mode. Kaiba merely laughed at his weakness. Then Yugi played the magic card. Multiply. The Kuribohs multiplied so much. His Celtic Guardian couldn't be touched. It was a defensive wall. Kaiba kept thinking that by attacking, he can break it down, but it wasn't working for him.

And then it happened. The UNTHINKABLE. Yugi summoned his Mammoth Graveyard and used Living Arrow and Polymerization to fuse his monster into the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"Every turn that goes by now Kaiba," Yugi said to him. "Your dragon will become weaker. Then it'll be weak enough for me to destroy!" Kaiba couldn't believe it. You swore he was about to fall to his knees, but something held him up. Then there was the look of pure determination on his face.

"I won't give up!" he cried and declared another attack on his Kuribohs. The blast only destroyed a handful of them but then they reappeared just as fast. He stared off into the distance....wondering. You could tell by the look in his eyes that this duel meant something to him, something important.

You watched him glance behind him and then give a look of regret towards Yugi. He shook his head. "Yugi..." he said, suddenly backing up. "I have to win this."

He was on the ledge of the roof now, totally on the edge now. "Attack me Yugi!" he dared. "And the recoil will send me falling!"

Your eyes widened and without permission from your brain, your legs moved forward towards Kaiba's direction. "Kaiba!" you said.

"Hey Sarah!" Joey called. "Where do you think you're going?"

You ignored his plead and said. "Kaiba. Why are you doing this? You KNOW Yugi would never hurt you! Why go through this?!"

He sighed. From this angle, you could see the stress clouding his face and the tiredness too. "They have my little brother Mokuba." He said finally. Your locket gave off an uncomfortable warmth at the word 'brother'.

"But you don't have to do this to yourself!" you cried. You held up a hand. "We can help you! Just don't put your life in risk. Let's work as a team!"

He looked from your hand to your face. He didn't have a chance to say what he wanted to, because at that moment...a gust of wind came down from the north and rushed past him. He lost his footing and was starting to tumble down mid-air.

"No!" you cried and without hesitation, ran over to the edge of the wall and jumped over. The gang called out your name before you dove but you were already out of site.

You came down in a straight formation, then caught Kaiba by the middle, wrapping your arms secure around his mid section and casted a bright light from your locket.

It blinded the both of you until you were lying on the ground panting. You looked over to him and said, "Kaiba. You alright?"

He looked kind of dazed, probably from the light, and nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. What about you?" He raised his hand to your head and felt around for any bumps.

You smirked half-heartedly. "Dude." You said reassuringly. "I'm alright. Let's go back shall we?" You stood to your feet and clumsily brushed yourself off before lending a hand towards the confused looking CEO.

He took it gratefully and rose to his feet. "Thanks." He said gruffly. You smiled at the thank you.

The both of you silently walked back up to the castle tops. Kaiba merely sat down on one of the ledges while you made a dramatic entrance.

"Did anyone miss me?" you said, raising your hands for the sky. Dramatic crickets chirping. No I'm kidding. xD

"Sarah!" Joey cried and ran over to you, hugging you to death. "You're ok!"

"Of course I'm ok you dolt!" you said, squirming in his grip. "I had to come back right? Now let me go, I need to talk to Kaiba."

After Joey almost breaking a bone or two, he let you go and you walked over to Kaiba. He only had the courage to apologize to you.

"I'm—sorry Sarah." He said solemnly. "But...Pegasus has my brother, and I had to try and get in with all ten star chips..."

You shook your head. "No worries." You said. Then you looked to your glove and then to him. Your mind screamed, 'It's Priest Seto's reincarnation! How can you NOT help?!'

You slowly took off 5 star chips from your duellist glove and handed them out towards the brunette.

Kaiba looked up in shock. Then he shook his head, "I can't possibly—"

You dropped them into his open palm and closed his fingers around them, just like Joey had done with the ones he gave you.

"Take them." You said. The group was shocked. Joey almost cussed. "Now, go save your brother, ok?"

The corners of Kaiba's lips curled into a small smile but then disappeared and he nodded a silent 'thank you'. Then he got up and walked towards the gates.

"Sarah! Why in the WORLD would you do that?!" Joey yelled in dismay. "He was a jerk!"

You shrugged, "But I couldn't help feeling bad for him. I'm a girl. We're like that."

The group anime sweat dropped. Tristan took in a deep breath, "So...now what?"

You shook your head and saw out of the corner of your eyes, the doors to the castle closing behind Kaiba's retreating figure. "Easy." You stated. "I'm out of the tournament."

* * *

**Author's Note:** . . . *runs away from angry readers* I'M SORRY YOU'RE OUT OF THE TOURNAMENT! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! lol. I'm just kidding. You're not out of it. You'll see why in the next chapter. Until then, please review and come back soon! Thanks! :)


	15. A Way Back In, Duel, Encounter

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter 14! Hope you like it! :)

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 14**

"I dunno guys. Maybe its fate." you said to the group as the sun slowly started to set down the west. You sat down on the stairs in front of the door and sighed.

Joey sat down next to you. "But you didn't have to give him your chips!" he said. "I mean....there must have been another way for him to get star chips. You giving it to him was totally out of the question..."

"How else was he going to save his brother?" you asked.

Joey shrugged. "I dunno, but you came all this way. You can't give up now."

Yugi nodded. "Joey's right. Maybe there's still some duelists out there that you can wager star chips on."

You shrugged, still looking down.

Joey looked around and then his glance fell to his glove. He sighed but smiled and put his glove in front of your face. "Here Sarah." He said. "Take mine."

"Joey..." you said surprised as you stared at the glove. With a concluded shake of your head you said no. "I'm sorry Joey. You need them I'm not taking them."

He looked a little angry for you saying no. "Sarah, please. Just take them...or-or-"

He saw you shaking your head again and put his glove back down onto his lap. "I appreciate your help Joey, I really do it's just...they're yours and you need them for your sister."

Joey sighed and nodded, saying, "I understand. So...does this mean that Yugi and I are in the finals?"

You came out of your unhappy state and smiled widely, saying, "That's right! Congrats guys!" You got up and hugged the both of them together. You missed the blush on their cheeks.

"Hey! Joey! Yugi!" Came a voice and you instantly let go of the two boys to see who it was.

"Hey Mai! Did you get all of 'em?" Joey asked smiling. You snickered in your mind......a blonde for a blonde. Your inner mind started laughing uncontrollably.

She held up her glove and showed you guys 10 glittering star chips. "Yes I did. Oh." She dug her hands through her pockets and also pulled up a handful of more star chips. "I also kept my promise." She said as she held them out to Yugi. "These are the star chips I owe you Yugi."

Tristan held his head. "15 star chips?!" he cried. You anime sweat dropped.

Yugi was thinking for a while before he started smiling. He nodded and took them into his own hand gratefully. "Thanks Mai." She nodded.

He turned around and sat down beside you, holding out his hand. "Sarah?" he called. You were back to sitting down with your chin in your hands and looking towards the steps. You looked up when you heard him call your name. He held up the star chips and your eyes widened, so did everyone else's. "Here. Mai gave them to me for the duel against Panik. Since I already have my 10, I was wondering if you would take these so we can all go in together...?"

You stared at the boy in front of you with a surprised look. No one had seen that coming... You couldn't get any words out of you.

"Yugi...I-"

"Just take them." He said and put them into your hands. You stared at your palms. "Think of it as an...early birthday present."

Your eyes got anime teary and you smiled towards him. Then you hugged him close really, really tightly. "Yay!" you cried. "Thanks so much Yugi! I'm 17 now!" (**Author's Note:**.......I think Yugi and the gang are 16........well whatever age they are, you are the same age. :D)

Everyone anime fell. Joey let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe she'll be one year older than us."

You let out a low growl before Mai came up behind Joey and patted his arm. "She's only kidding Joey. Now let's go! We have to get inside before the sun sets and we're attacked." Joey and Tristan gulped. Of course if wasn't true, but she had fun taunting them. xD

Yugi smiled one last time towards you before getting up and offering a hand.

You took his hand and got to your own feet. "Really Yugi. I thank you."

He shrugged. "What are friends for?"

In your mind, you can only be awed. 'A lot of things...'

The group and you walked to the door and in front of it stood a guard. He held his hand out as they came up to him.

"I suggest you guys show me your ten star chips before you go any further." He said.

Mai placed her star chips in the holster on the door. Then the door began to slowly open up and she waved to you. "See you guys inside."

Joey nudged you to go next. You looked back at Yugi and he only gave you a reassuring nod.

"I'm up next dude." you said as you put your star chips into the holster next. The door opened and you cautiously went in after Mai.

Joey and Yugi did the same thing and went in after you. Bakura, Tea and Tristan were also about to go in when the guard stepped in front of them, holding out his hand.

"Where are your star chips?" he asked superiorly(sp?).

The three if them stuttered at the question. "Star chips?"

The guard shook his head. "If you don't have star chips, I can not let you enter."

"But you gotta let us in." Tea protested. "We-we're the cheer leaders!" Bakura and Tristan were like what the hell?!

You, Mai and the guys anime sweat dropped.

The guard got a little pissed at the joke. "No star chips, no entry."

Mai nudged you slightly and whispered, "Watch how this works." You smiled unsurely but watched her walk up to the guard. She started talking to him, or it looked like pretend charming, and enough of it to let the three pass. Then she clocked him with her bag and ran inside, Joey and you quickly closed the door, just as the guard turned around and started beating at it angrily. You couldn't help but laugh a little nervously.

"Come on guys." Yugi said and you got back to being serious. "There's no time to waste." Everyone followed him into the entrance hall, up a flight of stairs and onto a balcony over looking a wide empty space. That was confusing.

In front of you guys stood someone whom you started to loathe since the first moment you were unconscious for. You absentmindedly growled.

"Bandit Keith?" you implied. He turned to look at you with his smirk on.

"Oh man....I thought you guys had died in that hell hole, and quite literally too." he snickered.

You gritted your teeth from cussing your worst. "Why wouldn't I want to come back and clobber the crud out of the guy who one, put me up for adoption, and two, pulled on my hair causing me pain, as if your face wasn't enough?"

His snickering faltered and his lips curved into a sneer. The guys behind you were shocked at your vulnerability to lose yourself when it came to these sort of things. Oh yeah....when you get angry, you get VERY angry.

"You better watch what you say Sarah." he said, his voice hissing. "You can hurt yourself."

"Like I said, your face did the job for me."

Keith was about to go right at you with a fist, but one of Pegasus' suits came up behind you guys from the stairs and cleared his throat. "Welcome duelists." he said. All eyes turned to him. "My name is Croquet and I am the chief tournament liaison (dunno what it means but it was in da show xP). Congratulations on getting this far. Mr. Pegasus was so intrigued by your dueling skills that he wishes to give you all some entertainment." He motioned to the empty part of the room below the railing and you looked over. Your eyes widened.

"A duel between Kaiba and Pegasus? You call it entertainment?" you asked angrily.

Croquet went on as though he didn't hear you. "This match will give you an idea of what's in store for you."

Mai says, "Then it's meant to intimidate us."

He innocently asks, "Why would Pegasus do something like that?"

Joey made a circular motion beside his temple, "Because he's a grade-A nutcase." (**Author's Note:** muahahaha! I love that. :P)

He bowed respectfully towards you guys and said, "Enjoy the match." Then he turned on his heel and walked off. You sighed and turned around leaning against the railing of the balcony. You distinctly heard the swears Keith made as everyone looked down beside you.

Kaiba was standing on a gray platform that was attached to the door he got in from. He clutched something around his neck and kept looking forward.

The door opposite him began to open and out came, in all his glory, Pegasus. Your hands automatically started clenching.

"Welcome Kaiba-boy! It's been so long!" Pegasus said coming out happy. Wow...what happened?

"Spare the goody talk!" Kaiba retorted, taking out his duel disks from his briefcase. He handed one to Pegasus and hooked his own to his arm. "We'll be dueling with these...my way or its a no go."

Pegasus turned it over in his hands, examining it. "Oh Kaiba, I don't really think this is suitable for my taste."

Kaiba squinted his eyes at him, "What do you mean?"

Pegasus smirked and clapped his hands. From behind him came a small figure with black hair and lifeless eyes.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba cried his eyes widening. Your fists fell hollow beside your sides.

Kaiba's opponent gave Mokuba the disk he was holding. "I can't duel with that thing. I'll get Mokuba to do it for me! How about it Mokuba-boy?"

The soulless body of Mokuba stayed how he was, motionless.

Kaiba looked like he was about to cry. "N-no! Fine Pegasus." He looked down. "I'll duel you your way, but keep my brother out of this."

Pegasus smirked in triumph. "Good decision Kaiba." Mokuba was taken by two other suits and then Pegasus was brought his deck. "Now watch how the arena comes into play..."

He looked up and so did everyone else. A dueling arena was coming down from the ceiling and planting itself in between the platforms Kaiba and Pegasus were on. They stepped onto it and began the duel.

~FF TO END OF DUEL~

"N-no! I lost!" Kaiba cried in disbelief. You closed your eyes and put your head on your arms, mumbling curses.

"Oh god...he lost." Tristan said in a low voice.

Bakura looked to them questioningly, "So...what happens now?"

Pegasus clapped to his win. "That was an excellent duel Kaiba-boy." He smirked as Kaiba hung his head in defeat. "But I'm afraid you couldn't save your brother. So sorry, but don't worry. I will save you from the agony of even carrying on in this world."

There was a bright light that engulfed the room and you could hear a slight whisper go through your mind. 'I'm sorry Mokuba...I failed.' You then realized that it was Kaiba's voice. You looked back down at him and saw that his body was just standing there, lifeless like Mokuba.

"There. Now your soul is gone too. Even though your close, you're still far away. Poor boys. Guards, teach his body to wash dishes or something." With a wave of his hand, the two suits standing behind him took Kaiba by the arms and dragged him out of the hall.

"K-Kaiba..." you said putting a hand to your mouth.

Yugi broke down too. "It's not fair.....he was only trying to help his brother." You felt your arm heat up as you looked to your left as the light from the Millennium Puzzle glowed a bright colour. Yugi wasn't Yugi anymore. Right next to you stood Yami. You felt your cheeks burn a little bit all of a sudden and for no good reason.

"Pegasus!" He said in his voice.......the friggin voice I'm so god damned in love with. ^///^

Pegasus turned around to face him, still smirking.

"You will pay for what you've done! And when I have defeated you, you will undo everything!"

Pegasus waved a finger at him. "Remember Yugi-boy. You have to get through the finals to get to me."

"I know that! But when I do...get ready."

The guy simply smirked again and turned around to walk back out. You were left stunned still from what just happened.

Croquet came back and then showed you guys down a hall and to your rooms. He invited you all to dinner too and then left. You walked into your room and looked around slightly. Light blue walls with white curtains over the windows, a twin-sized with white and blue sheets, and a bathroom.

You sighed and put your duffel down beside your bed and went into the bathroom to freshen up.

When you came out, you straightened your hair and then went outside to meet the others, but someone had grabbed a hold of your wrists and had pushed you into the wall beside your room. You heard your jaw crack under the pressure of your teeth gritting against each other.

"Hello there Sarah...It's nice to meet you again." Bakura said slyly as he hung your wrists above your head.

"B-Bakura....I should say the same to you but it's not true. At all." you spat. He only smirked.

Yami Bakura. Back in Egypt, and by the looks of it even now, had bad thoughts going through his head about you and even tried to put them to use when the Pharaoh pushed him off. Right now, he could only scare you with his eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm not a ghost." He said eyeing you. You gulped. "I'm simply inhabiting Ryou's body."

"N-no wonder you look almost l-like him." you said stuttering.

He rose a hand towards your face and gently scraped it against the side of it. You jerked your head away and kicked him in the shin, but it didn't even faze him. He chuckled at your attempt.

"You've gotten a little weak haven't you." he taunted. You looked down. He was right.

"But don't worry. I'll give you a free chance at a kill if you give me something." He said, inching his face closer to yours. You backed your head into the wall even more, but the wall said other wise.

"N-not a chance." You said, glaring.

"The Locket doesn't even work yet. Why don't you give it to me for safe keeping?"

"You do that and maybe hell will freeze over." you said back.

He grinned devilishly and took the hold off your wrists. You hadn't noticed the pain before as he had the grip on them. There were red marks going about around them.

"You'd better be careful. I will get that Locket and kill you with it." he hissed.

You wiped your jaw, from when you heard it crack, turns out it started bleeding just a bit.

"Then what? You'll 'rule the world'? You know you can't do that." you said back with just as much venom.

He smirked and started disappearing down the hall. "We'll see."

You rubbed your forehead from the slight layer of sweat. He was really scaring you now. What would he do when he actually gets a hold on your Locket? You couldn't even imagine.

**Author's Note:** Hope you enjoyed chapter 14! :) Stay tuned for chapter 15! ^^


	16. Line Up and Being Locked Out

**Author's Note:** Here's Chapter 15. Hope you like it. Watch out for some language. Oh and erm......I guess I should make a disclaimer, just in case.

Well....*ahem* Here goes. I, xyugiohluvrx, do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. All credits and rights go to Kazuki Takahashi. This is just a fan fiction and I am getting no money off of it either. Thanks. ^^

Well....that wasn't bad. (lol.) Please enjoy this chapter! Thanks! :)

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 15**

You held your forehead for a second, just to catch up on your heavy breathing.

'He was so close to-'

You let out an exasperated sigh. 'I can't think about that now. I have to get back to the dining room.'

After taking some long breaths and trying to calm yourself down, you turned on your heel and walked down the hall towards a set of doors to the right.

You walked into them with a slight suspicion that maybe you went into the wrong room, but then you saw Yugi and Joey just beginning to sit down on some chairs that were curving around a long table filled with food.

"H-hey guys." You said in a voice you wished was straight, calm, and cheerful, but just came out a little shaky and you mentally cursed a colourful word.

"Sarah? Are you alright?" Joey asked suddenly getting up off his chair and making his way towards you. He raised a hand to your cheek.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." You said stuttering that time.

He rubbed his thumb down your cheeks hoping for some sort of faulty in your structure. You felt your cheeks heat up. He was obviously worried about you.

His eyes were tracing down the route his thumb took and then suddenly stopped at the corner of your jaw. He squinted his eyes and brought his face relatively closer to take a better look. You felt his breath fly and blushed a heavier red.

"S-Sarah..." he whispered, centimeters from your skin. "You're-bleeding..."

You took in a sharp breath. He just found the place where you started bleeding slightly from hearing your jaw crack after impact into the wall.

Yugi was up beside you in milliseconds, looking at the spot Joey kept his thumb on.

"What happened?" Yugi asked worried.

"N-nothing." You said quickly. "I just...ran into a door. Heh."

'Ran into a door.....honestly, is that the best I got?!'

"Hmm...." Joey said absentmindedly while his lips were barely brushing upon your skin. You blushed again and just took yourself out of his grasp, releasing the breath you were holding that you knew wasn't there before.

You saw Joey's eyes widen in surprise but then his skin turned a bit pink. "S-sorry....I was uh...looking for like...dislocation or something."

You shrugged and managed a smile. "It's alright. And I'm fine you guys. Honest."

Yugi glanced nervously towards Joey and then shot the same look to you. Joey was still a little pink from going so close to expressing his feelings in a way he didn't want to yet...

"If you say so Sarah." Joey said shrugging and taking his seat again.

Yugi took a napkin from the table and gave it to you.

"Thanks." You said, wiping the side of your face. "I could have sworn I got rid of all of it."

He simply shrugged. "When it comes to friends, and especially female ones, Joey can get pretty worried. Truth is there wasn't even a hint of blood anywhere, but he found it somewhere."

You couldn't help but feel the corners of your lips tug into a smile. He was like...an older brother—

You stopped yourself into thinking even further. You felt tears at the back of your eyes suddenly and begged for the weakness not to show. It worked. For now.

"Thanks Yugi." You said forcing a smile instead of a tear.

He shrugged and smiled back. "It was nothing."

He led you over to the seat next to Joey and sat down on your other side. You whispered a 'thanks' into Joey's ear and he only nodded hastily before turning his head, but not before you seeing some pink tinting his face.

The door opened once, only to reveal Bandit Keith, but he simply smirked and walked silently towards a seat and sat down, chin in hands out of pure boredom.

Mai, Tea, Tristan, and Bakura soon walked into the room as well, but they didn't look at all happy. Actually, from the looks of it, they looked pretty anxious. When they saw the three of you already seated, they quickly made their way in your direction. After seating themselves down did they start talking.

"You won't be able to guess what we just saw." Tristan whispered harshly towards you guys.

You blinked as they eyed you out of the rest. Did they see the incident with Bakura?

"What's up guys?" you asked staying calm.

Tea was just about to open her mouth when everyone heard someone clear their throat and all attention turned to Croquet.

"Welcome to dinner duelists." He started. He gestured to the front of the table. "Mr. Pegasus would like to make a few opening remarks."

A screen came down from the ceiling in the direction Croquet motioned to. Pegasus appeared onto it in a flash with his stupid smirk on and his hair covering half his face as usual.

"Welcome duelists to the finals!" he cried happily with fake mirth. "I hope you enjoy your dinner. This is a newer recipe..."

You eyed the soup bowl in front of it, which had soup already poured in, but just as everyone looked into their own, little gold balls appeared out of nowhere.

"Sick..." you muttered as you took it out and turned it over in your napkin. It was a fake replica....yes fake replica....it was that fake....of the Millennium Eye.

"Inside your replica of the Millennium Eye, you will find a letter. That letter will be used to match you up with an opponent. Please direct yourselves towards the screen and find your opponent."

The screen first showed everyone's letter the way they found it in their 'Millennium Eyes':

A-Yugi Mutou

B-Mai Valentine

C-Joey Wheeler

D-Bandit Keith

E-Sarah Wind

F—Eric Hall?!

"What?! Eric's in the finals?!" you cried in disbelief. And to make matters worse, he walked into the dining room right when you said that.

He was just buttoning up the collar of his shirt when he said to Croquet, "Sorry I'm late. I got caught up in the bathroom..." Then his eyes caught sight of you and you had to take a hard swallow before shifting your gaze down to your letter that was scribbled onto a piece of blank paper.

Croquet simply excused him for being late and told him to take a seat. Eric nodded quietly and pulled up a seat beside Keith. He looked up to see you glaring at him and simply smirked towards you. You quickly turned your head back to the screen.

"Now the computer will randomize everyone's names!" Pegasus said with his fake cheerful voice. "All the best!"

The names disappeared for a moment but then appeared once more in a different form:

1. A. Yugi Mutou

B. Mai Valentine

2. C. Joey Wheeler

D. Bandit Keith

3. E. Sarah Wind

F. Eric Hall

'Not again....' you groaned into your mind. Eric looked like he was happy over there beside Keith. He had another chance to 'win your heart'. You started muttering a bunch of colourful words until Joey got to his feet, shouting and pointing drastically towards Keith.

"Hah! Now I can finally get back at you for nearly killing us inside that cave!" he said.

Keith only snickered silently which got Joey even more pissed but you only cast a dark look to him and told Joey to sit down.

Croquet cleared his throat and made another announcement. "Now in order for everyone to qualify for the finals you will be asked to show one of the two qualification cards Mr. Pegasus sent you in the mail." He dug through his pockets and took out two duel monster cards.

He held them up to show everyone. "The one with the money is the grand prize of 3 million dollars. The blank one is the card that will grant you anything you wish after winning the tournament. Of course...it'll have to be something Pegasus can be able to accomplish in his power."

Everyone began muttering to each other. There was no mention on bringing the cards before.

Mai leaned over to your guys' side, "No wonder...that's what those cards were for."

You nodded and took out the envelope from the beginning of this whole mess an took out the two cards. "I've got both just in case. I thought they might be something for later. Did you guys bring yours?"

Yugi nodded. "I have both of them too." he said.

Then your attention diverted to Joey. He didn't have a star chip before Yugi gave him one. He won't have a card either.

You ripped open the envelope again and were about to take out the 3 million dollar card, before Yugi clasped his hands onto yours. You look up at him in question.

"Keep them just in case." He whispered. "I got one for Joey, ok?"

You bit the the inside of your lip but nodded, putting the card back in the envelope.

Yugi got out of his seat and walked over to Joey's. He held out the card with the 3 million dollars on it towards him. Joey looked to him confused.

"You can't fight without a qualification card Joey." Yugi said smiling.

Joey smiled thoughtfully. Yugi was always looking' out for his pals. He gratefully took the card and shook his friend's hand. "Thanks man. I owe you big time."

After that little confusion of cards, Croquet told everyone that it was time for them to go back to their rooms. Joey started complaining about only having soup for dinner. Of course everyone cracked up.

"Don't worry Joey." you said to him while walking down the hall with everyone else towards your rooms. "I still have some cans that you can eat."

He grinned broadly at you. "Really? You still have food in your bag?"

You smiled evilly as he said 'food'. "I said cans Joey....not the food IN the cans."

He started growling menacingly and you couldn't help but start to laugh. He growled even louder and whacked the back of your head playfully. :3

When you got back to your room, you took off your thigh sheath, wear you kept your deck, and placed it onto the bed side table right beside the envelope that held the qualification cards. From out of your duffel, you grabbed your short shorts (yes....I thought you would like those. :3), took off your jeans and put them on. This way, you would be sleeping in something alot more comfortable.

You laid with your back down on the bed and didn't bother to pull the covers up. You were too busy with the events of the past few days clouding your mind. I mean...how is it that Eric made it into the castle....even after getting beat twice?

"Why won't he give up?" you asked yourself. Then you muttered something about 'bakas' before turning on your side and closing your eyes.

* * *

~JUST A FEW MINUTES LATER~

While you tried to get to sleep, you actually didn't even get a chance, because right when you were about to dream about a kitty, there was an earsplitting blare of sirens. Your eyes shot up and you quickly rolled onto your other side, grabbing your sheath and envelope. Tugging the thigh sheath on and stuffing the envelope into your back shorts pockets, you ran out your room door.

"What the hell is going on?" You heard Tristan ask no one in particular. You turned to your right and saw him walking out of his room rubbing his eyes. The sirens were still going as loud as before. There was the sound of another door opening on your left and you turned to see Joey, coming out of his room pulling his shirt down.

"Jeez...If you wanted us up you could have just knocked--" Joey stopped when he saw you. Tristan curiously looked to where you stood too. They both blinked.

Tea soon came out of her room with Yugi leading the way. "You guys ok?" Yugi asked. He blinked when he saw you in shorts too.

Joey tapped his foot, regardless of the noise. "I never knew you can bring a change of clothes."

You blushed a heavy red but hoped the guys wouldn't see it. "Well.....I personally couldn't sleep with jeans on so I made sure I kept a pair of something more comfortable. Heh. I'm-I'm sorry--"

"Why are you sorry?" Tristan said coming up behind you.

Yugi nodded. "He's right. It was a smart idea. I wish we thought of it."

Joey began flexing his muscles beside your gaze, "But ya know, we can just take off our shirts and feel comfortable."

You blushed again and simply shook your head. "Can we deal with shirtless people later? What's going on--"

You were cut off by iron bars suddenly coming down into the doorways to everyone's rooms. They caused you to jump about a foot into the air out of surprise. "What the hell is going on here?!" you cried, clutching your side from pulling a muscle. Hm........first a siren blaring 2 seconds after arriving into your rooms and now iron bars in your doorways. Just what IS going on?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked it! Reviews are appreciated! :) BY THE WAY. If you want a picture of ERIC HALL, please message me and I'll show you. Other than that, just imagine someone with orange Sora-like (the guy from Kingdom Hearts) hair, and really sexy! Thank you! :)


	17. Eric and Keith

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked chapter 16!

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 16**

"I'm gonna sue if these bars don't move..." you grumbled as you pulled on the bars, thinking that with all your might, they might come loose.

Joey sighed, and said aggressively, "Do you really think they'll move?!"

You winced at his sudden harshness. "It was worth a try! Sorry for even trying! Jeez...but what do we do now?"

Out of nowhere, there was a cuss, (**Author's Note**: If you don't know what a cuss is, it's when someone swears. ^^') and the figure who let it out soon walked down the hallway.

"Does anyone else know why our rooms are barred?" Eric asked coming up beside the group.

Tristan squinted his eyes at the guy, "We wouldn't be standing around if we knew what was going on now would we?"

Eric bared his teeth at the remark and then simply walked away down the hall. You breathed out a breath that you never knew you were holding.

Yugi shook his head slightly and shrugged his shoulders, "We should probably go ask Croquet or Pegasus what's going on."

You sighed and helplessly followed the group towards the ballroom.

(**Author's Note:** ok....now I know there was no ballroom in the show, but here, there is. :P I'll describe it in the next couple sentences or so. :3)

You and the group followed down the hall and came to a set of double doors; the only doors that weren't barred so it had to be the ballroom. Joey opened the doors and held them open for the rest of the group and you to walk in.

The ballroom was an open room, with ceiling high windows on one wall and the other wall bare; green curtains hung over the windows, hiding the fact that it's the middle of the night. The floor was a shiny laminated surface and Pegasus stood right in the middle of it along with a pile of something at his feet and two suits standing right beside him.  
Eric and Keith were off to one side where the windows were and Mai was opposite them, glaring daggers. She saw the doors open and you guys walking in and then walked over to you.

"Hey." she said calmly, as if the whole situation was normal. "Did your guys' doorways get barred?"

Everyone to her surprise nodded.

"Now I know that it's 11 at night and that the lot of you want to get to sleep," Pegasus started and everyone's attention went to him, "but there seems to be a little security problem. Actually, the correct word is malfunction. The sirens you heard blaring were to signal you out of your rooms if there was any signs of danger, but as you can see, there was no danger here. We just looked into it and found that it was indeed a slight malfunction and part of that malfunction told the iron bars to fall into the doorways of your rooms. Now, we can't reset the alarm system until next morning so come get a sleeping bag and blanket for the night."

As everyone walked on over to the Pegasus, still a little confused, you couldn't help but regret wearing short shorts. With Eric and Keith right there, you felt a little 'exposed'.  
Joey at that time walked up beside you, putting Eric and Keith out of your gaze. "Don't worry about them." He said to you in a soft voice, putting his hand on your back reassuringly. "If he tries anything, Yuge, Tristan, and I'll handle 'em."

You smiled a weak smile towards him and then looked forward.

After getting the sleeping bags and blanket, both of them a dark shade of blue and looking pretty new, you tossed yours on to the floor of the ballroom and then plopped onto it with your hands behind your head.

"Sarah." Tristan called. You turned your head towards him, indicating that you were listening. "I bet you could beat Yugi in a duel."

"What's with the sudden question?" you asked confused, glancing towards Yugi, who was shifting uncomfortably on his seat. You raised a brow at the guys' sudden change of state.

"What's with you guys--"

"Eric's staring at you that's why." Joey said suddenly and when you jerked your head in his direction, he was trembling slightly from rage. You glanced over to the ass holes corner and saw him smirking while Keith talked to him.

"The bastard." you cussed. Then your anger slipped off your shoulders and you shrugged deeply. "Oh well...he's not my type anyway."

Tristan's head perked up at this statement. "So...what IS your type?"

You didn't blush. You just absentmindedly twirled the heart shaped locket on your neck around your finger while staring down at the floor empty minded. His question left you in a daze, as if you didn't understand what he meant.

"Sarah? You ok?" Yugi asked, waving a hand in front of your face.

You snapped your eyes back to their attention and blinked. "Hmm? Oh I'm sorry, what was the question?"

"It was nothing." Tristan said a little sadly and he began unzipping his sleeping bag.

You couldn't help but feel guilty in not answering his question....but....how could you answer it? You didn't.....quite understand the question.

'What's my type...of person right?' you thought. It seemed clear to you, but you couldn't find a right answer. It's like when you hear the question, and for a nanosecond, register it in and find out what he's asking, and then you search your mind for an answer, your mind suddenly becomes cloudy. Very dark, eerie and cloudy....as if that part of your mind is off limits.  
You were left to ponder this question only for a few seconds before realizing that everyone had slipped inside their sleeping bags and with a blanket over their bodies.

You saw Joey giving you a watchful eye, wondering what you were thinking. He obviously figured out that the question Tristan asked bothered you.

"Come on Sarah." Joey said, patting the space between him and Yugi, even though he was blushing. "Sleep here and you'll feel safer, hopefully."

You cast a look around the room before settling your gaze onto Joey's. You got to your feet and moved your sleeping bag on the space between the two boys and then slipped into it carefully.

Joey on your right turned on his side to face you and put an arm under his head to make him more comfortable. "Feeling any better?"

You were silent for a second but you gave him a small nod. You faced yourself upwards towards the ceiling and put your arms behind your head looking up.  
"Good night guys." you said solemnly.

Tristan muttered something, meaning he was totally asleep. Tea was off with Mai the whole time, the both of them talking about the many ways possible for Pegasus to cheat and Joey said good night back to you, but Yugi said nothing. He was actually fiddling with the rope holding the Millennium Puzzle. He had taken it off and it was now sitting in front of his lying body.

"Yugi. Is something the matter?" you asked him quietly so no one could hear. He looked back up to you and you saw in his eyes something flash.

"No." he murmured. "I was just thinking about what happened with Kaiba. That's all." He looked down and started twirling the rope around his finger.

You gave him a slight nod, "Yes. Pegasus' Millennium Eye is a very lethal weapon."

He brought his gaze back up to yours and said suddenly, "How do you know about all of this? It seems you already knew about it."

You held your breath and then let it out slowly. "You should get some sleep Yugi." you said patting his shoulder. "It's really late."

He caught your drift about not talking about it, but you knew he was curious. He had every right to be. He had a group of wonderful friends and then you come along and start giving him the creeps about knowing stuff they're just learning about.

'I can't tell him for a reason.' you told yourself. 'If I tell him now, he'll think I'm mad. Telling him about a spirit in the Millennium Puzzle will just scare him to death.

'But maybe he's already getting an idea of something like this? He's probably felt something different about him when he duels. How couldn't he? Yami's pretty powerful....once he knows how to use that power anyway. *sigh* How about I just stop hurting my head and just let it play out?' and with that last statement, you closed your eyes and tried to get some sleep at least. Not knowing someone was watching you carefully the whole time.

* * *

Your ears picked up some weird harsh noises in the background of your sleep. Keeping your eyelids half open, you looked towards the source of the sound and found a shadow bent over over Joey's figure. It was shuffling around for something but your eyelids only gave you a limited amount of seeing things.

You shifted in your covers to try and get up someone pushed you down. They put a rough hand onto your mouth to keep you from saying anything. You struggled your hardest but they kept a firm grip on you from above.

As the person bent down to say something to you from over head, you caught a familiar scent.

"Calm down will you?" he hissed "Or I'll have to contain you."

Eric. What the eff was he doing here?!

The shadow beside Joey's figure, stood up to his full height now. He didn't stand up empty handed though. In his hand you saw a rectangular shaped object that was completely thin and flashed in the moon rays coming from the windows.

"Thanks for your help Eric." Keith snickered. Then he stalked off a little ways away before Eric hissed something aggressively.

"Yo Keith! What about my cut?"

Keith smirked at him and then waved a hand, "Looks like you've got things under control here." Without looking, you already knew he walked off towards his sleeping bag, placed on the other side of the room.

You heard Eric growl and then let you go instantly. You gasped in a heavy breath before turning your head to see where he went.

Eric was actually on your opposite side now searching around Yugi's jacket pockets.

"Eric, no!" You kicked off your seeping bag and then struggled to get to your feet. Your arms outstretched, you tackled Eric to the ground, just as he was about to run off with one of Yugi's cards in his own hand.

"Let go of the card Eric!" you said with your full voice. You threatened to strangle him since you had the better position. You were actually sitting on top of him from the tackle.

"Keep it down!" he said struggling underneath you. It was actually harder for you to keep him down because of your light weight, but you held up from your training in Egypt.

Too late. The lights turned on and you didn't even turn your head to see who it was. Instead, you kept your grip on Eric's shirt collar. "Give back the card, now!"

"Ok ok! Take it! Just don't hurt me!" he pleaded and handed you back the card. You could tell he got a little scared from your sudden outburst, but if someone stood in the middle of someone's destiny, you couldn't stand it.

He held up the card meekly towards you and you ripped it out of his hands aggressively. You pointed a finger to his face and said, venom dripping from each word, "Touch something of ours again, and I'll murder you in cold blood." Eric had his eyes widened and scared to death. Your temper everyone.

"Ok Sarah." you heard Joey's voice from behind you. He wrapped your arms around your waist and hoisted you up in midair. "That's enough."

"Do you know what he did?" you shouted at him and pointing accusingly towards Eric's direction as he tried getting up. "He tried to steal! And Keith already got away with your card--"

"Wait." Joey stopped and stared at you for a sec. "He did what?! Which card?!"

You stopped struggling and started thinking. "Well....he was searching around your pockets..."

Joey put you back down and then began looking through his pockets. His eyes widened as they came to rest on yours. "He's got my entry card."

You just cussed a colourful word. "That....flipping....bastard!" Then you turned to Joey and saw his eyes full of hatred and sullenness.

"How am I going to compete now?" he asked the air in front of him. You put your chin in your hands and said sarcastically, "Gee.....I wonder...."

He watched you dig through your bag pockets and take out the envelope from before and from it, you took out the entry card with the 3 million dollars on the front and held it out in front of Joey's face.

"Sarah...no...I can't take yours." he said sadly. You frowned at this. "You won't be able to compete--"

"I have the other one Joey, don't worry 'bout it. Take it."

He looked to your eyes intently. And you saw some......something. Too strong to tell--wait.

You couldn't think any more because at that moment, Joey scooped you up in his arms and hugged you close to him. "Thanks Sarah." he whispered into your ears softly.  
You smiled and patted his back. "It's no problem really."

He let you go and then said looking into your eyes again, "You guys are always lookin' out for me. I appreciated it. A lot."

You smiled again and shrugged, "What are friends for?"

He smiled to you and then ruffled your hair. You squinted at him and muttered something unrecognizable before turning around and running back towards everyone else, who looked at you like you were nuts.

* * *

When everyone went to sleep easily, you still had a bit of trouble. I mean you felt great for helping Joey, but Eric was scaring you now.  
'Would he really do anything to get in the way?'

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked it! :) Reviews are appreciated. ^-^'


	18. Tickle Fit

Author's Note: Chapter 17! Third one today! =3

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 17**

Tristan was the first to wake up the next morning. He sat up on his spot and stretched his arms up towards the ceiling. The sun shone through the windows and into the curtains which rained its rays onto the floor and the people lying on it. Eric and Keith were still sleeping at their own side of the room and Mai and Tea were a few feet away from Tristan. Bakura was still asleep too, but a few feet away from his as well.

The brunette scratched his head defiantly and wondered about where you were sleeping. Then he turned his head towards the direction of his buddies and his face turned a light shade of white.

The three of you looked rather comfortable, but it was the way you guys were sleeping that made him blink and want to laugh out loud. You guys were still sleeping, but in this position it seemed impossible to Tristan.

Its impossible to describe but I'll try. So Yugi's on his back sleeping soundlessly while his head was turned in Tristan's direction. You were halfway on him, with your right leg over him and your head resting on his chest. And Joey over here had his arm around your hips while sleeping behind the both of you. As you can probably imagine, you're on top of Yugi and Joey's on top of you.

Tristan couldn't really hold it in anymore, and he went off into a laughing spree. Your eyes flickered at the disturbance and tried to open to see what your egghead of a friend was laughing at.

"Tristan..." you moaned, shutting your eyes again. "Shut. Up."

The brunette tried holding back his laughter by covering his mouth with his hand, but you could still hear some of his amused sounds.

"You know....if you were seeing what I was seeing, you would laugh as much as I am right now."

You opened your eyes to their fullest and tried to sit up, but you stopped after feeling something slide off you and fall to the ground beside you in a thump. Joey sat up instantly, his eyes dazed from drowsiness.

"Ok! Ok! I'm up!" he shouted, thinking someone threw his arm to the ground to try and wake him up. Then he rubbed his eyes and took a look at his surroundings. He blinked when he saw you....now I know this is going to sound wrong but.....on top of Yugi.

"Eh....Sarah? Wh-what are you doing?"

You blinked heavily at the two boys watching you. Then you felt something stir underneath you and you slowly brought your gaze down. When you saw Yugi with his eyes widened, you blushed over a million shades of red.

...oops...

"Oh my god!" you cried as you stumbled off the paralyzed Yugi, panting over the sudden beating of your heart, and landing in front of Tristan with your eyes wide. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to--"

Yugi blinked at the sudden weight being lifted off of him and then he started blushing a bunch of shades of red. As soon as he heard you apologizing, he started laughing his head off. Joey and Tristan joined in.

"Wha..." you stuttered confused. You looked back at the three boys like they were nuts. Certainly they weren't going to let that slip?

Joey held his side from the sudden outburst of laughter and then said trying to hold his breath intact, "I-its alright...S-Sarah." He fell back still laughing.

You blinked.

Yugi had stopped chuckling with the rest of the boys and crawled over next to you. "Joey's right." he said, still smiling from the laugh. "We're all friends here. And we know it was an accident...so don't worry about it, ok?" He laid a hand a friendly hand on your back and patted it kindly.

You gave him an unsure look and whispered low enough so only he could hear, "But I AM....REALLY sorry....Yugi. I didn't mean to.....I guess I just--" You looked down to the ground guiltily. You were never really that close to anyone after your parents' death, and then your brother making the wrongest decisions.

Yugi just shrugged, "It's nothing big. At least nothing........happened......you know?" You felt your cheeks get hot and you glared to the grinning boy beside you. Growling, you playfully pushed him to the ground and said deathly, "You think wrong Yugi. Sheesh you've been hanging out with Joey and Tristan WAY too much."

(**Author's Note:** lol...........sorry I added that in. but it was just to get you closer to everyone. :3)

Yugi laughed sheepishly put then poked you in the side. "You've been way too hyper lately too. Smiling way too much.."

As if on cue, you started smiling widely at him, teasing, "What are you talking about?"

Yugi poked you again and this time you laughed, getting Joey's and Tristan's attention.

Joey shot his arms up to the air and yelled, "POKING FEST! YEAH!" Then he started poking you all over the place along with Yugi. The both of them never left a gap in which you weren't laughing.

By this time, everyone had woken up and rubbing their eyes complaining at why you were up so early and laughing. Tea and Mai just got anime sweat drops on their heads and Tristan shook his head in disbelief.

"Ok.....OK! I GIVE!" You shouted defeated. Joey and Yugi stopped poking and fell back down beside you laughing their heads off.

"That was wicked! You're really ticklish." Joey implied as he turned to look at you. You merely blinked innocently and grabbed a hold of his nose with your fingers. He glared daggers.

Yugi chuckled at your 'tried-to-be-innocent' act. "Come on guys. We have to get up for the duels."

You suddenly jumped up and grabbed the envelope that held the entry cards and strapped on your thigh sheathe that held your deck. "Ok people." you said seriously, turning towards everyone else. "Let's get going. I need to kick Eric's ass.............after Yugi and Joey are done their own duels. Now come on!"

Joey put his hands behind his head, propping it up. "You just woke up! How the hell can you move so much?"

You blinked and pointed towards the door, sounding innocent all over, "I smell food that's why."

Joey and Tristan were up in a nanosecond and racing out the door towards their rooms to freshen up. Pegasus left a note on everyone's door that the alarm system was reset and that they can go back to their rooms. Everyone back in the ballroom put their sleeping bags and blankets into a pile to one wall and went into their rooms laughing at the boys that disappeared down the hall.

You came back out freshened up and ready -you changed back into your jeans- with your thing sheathe on and your entry card in your jeans pockets. All morning you didn't get one look or bugging moment from Eric, which you took thanking.

Back out into the dueling arena where Pegasus dueled Kaiba, Yugi and Mai were talking amongst themselves while Tea, Joey and Tristan were just about to start walking up the stairs to wards the balcony.

You came up behind Yugi and Mai and said, "Good luck you guys." They shook your hands nodding. "All the best." you wished and then ran up the stairs behind the rest of the gang. Bakura soon caught up with the rest of you and looked over the railing along with everyone else. Eric and Keith had no intention of even being there, but they still came and stayed on the opposite side of the balcony you and the rest were on, not even bothering to look at you. You sighed in relief.

Croquet showed up beside Pegasus on the other side of the room on his own balcony. He cleared his throat and spoke clearly, "Would both duelists please show their entry cards."  
Mai held up the 3 million dollar prize card and Yugi held up the other one that was blank.

Croquet nodded and rose his arm into the air, signaling the start. "Both duelists qualify and they may start now!"

"Get ready Yugi." Mai said drawing her card. "Cuz this duel will be your last in this tournament!"

There was a brief moment of yellow flash and where Yugi stood, was now Yami. He gave Mai one of his classical smirks and said back, "Let this honourable duel begin then. And well see who duels their last."**Author's Note:** Hope you liked that one! Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated! Thanks! :)


	19. Yugi's Duel, Joey's Duel, Then Sarah's

**Author's Note:** Chapter 18 people! FOURTH one today! WOO! Hope you like it! Oh and by the way......B2ST is the best! You HAVE to listen to them! =3

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 18**

Yugi walked up to his side of the arena and placed his deck onto the playing mat in the platform. As he brought his look back up, the room the brightened for the smallest second, and where Yugi was standing, was now Yami, same as ever, looking towards you.

You gave him a sweet smile, which he returned. He looked back towards Mai and stated, "Good luck Mai. May the best duelist win."

She nodded and drew her card, "You too bud. Now, I draw."

The duel went by pretty long. Yugi and Mai were fighting their best, both of them fighting honourably. You smiled at the both of them.

"They're really going at it hard." You said impressed.

Joey nodded, "Yeah, this duel might be close."

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened. Yugi was able to summon the Black Luster Soldier! A real favourite.

You rubbed your eyes and nearly fell over the railing, "No way! The legendary Black Luster Soldier?! He's one of the strongest!"

Tristan blinked, "So does that mean, Mai lost?"

You shook your head, "I don't know—"

"Wait!" Bakura said, coming up beside you and pointing down, "Mai, she's...."

"Mai?" Yugi asked mildly surprised, "Does...this mean you surrender?"

Mai, as everyone saw, had her hand put over her deck, symbolizing that she surrenders.

"Yes Yugi." She said solemnly. "I do."

Yugi gave her a confused look. "But, why?" he asked.

Mai let out a sigh. "I was one Harpie Lady away from winning," she explained, "and there's also no monster in my whole deck that can beat the Black Luster Soldier. Yugi, you deserve to win. Congratulations."

Yugi smiled over at the blonde. She had really started to fight honourably. "It was an honour to duel you Mai." he said, proud at the fact that she has finally begun to understand the meaning of having friends.

She smiled. "Thanks Yugi. Same to you, and if I ever had to lose, I'm glad it was to you."

The both of them said their congrats and thanks and everyone watched Mai leave the arena. You leaned over the railing just in time to shout, "See you some time Mai!"

She gave you a thumbs up and left through the door.

Yami changed back into Yugi and walked out his door and up to the balcony everyone else was on.

"Congrats Yugi." you said to him happily. He was just one step closer towards getting his grandpa back and everyone was so proud of him.

"Thanks you guys." he smiled. Joey patted his buddy's back and then said, "My turn. I'll see you guys later."

"Good luck Joey."

He looked you in the eyes. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have been able to have a chance at all.  
"Thanks Sarah. I'll do my best."

"Would Joey Wheeler and Bandit Keith please come to the arena." Croquet announced. Joey raced down the stairs and walked through the door to his side of the arena. Keith walked into his too.

"This shouldn't take too long." he said, stretching his arms in front of him. Joey cussed a pretty word.

"You shouldn't be so confident Keith." he warned, and fingered his qualification card in his pocket. "Maybe I'll be the one to rip you apart."

"You _will_ be the one Joey!" Tea said over the rail. "Don't let him push you around like that!"

"Got it." Joey said, and put his deck onto the mat.

"Your qualification cards please." Croquet asked the two.

"No sweat." Keith muttered slickly and held it up. Then his jaw dropped to the ground as he saw Joey hold up his own card. he didn't say anything, because if he knew he did, Pegasus would disqualify him for stealing someone's else's entry card.

"Both duelists qualify. You may begin when ready." Croquet raised his arm, signaling the beginning of the duel.

"Get ready to get your ass kicked Keith!" Joey smirked, holding up his hand. "Cuz I'm about to kick it to whole new dimension!"

Keith scoffed, "Keep dreamin' kid. This one's mine."

~FF TO END OF DUEL~

JOEY WON! You couldn't believe how close it was! Keith had all these powerful monsters, machine ones too, and Joey dodged all of 'em!

"Way to go Joey! We knew you could do it!" you cried jumping up and punching the air.

He gave a happy thumbs up and turned around to cuss at Keith, when Pegasus stopped him.

"Now I know Joey is the winner," he started, mildly surprising everyone. "but did you know he was the winner, even before this duel started?"

Everyone was confused. "What do you mean?" you asked, tentatively.

Pegasus indicated towards Keith, "Well for one thing, Keith stole Joey's qualification card. And second, he hid his 7 Completed cards under his wristband to play them whenever he wanted." 7 Completed cards helped raise the attack or defense points of one of Keith's machines up by 700 points.

You pointed an accusing finger at Keith, "You're such a cheating bastard! Are you serious? That's not mature!"

"Can it or I'll get Eric to screw you and shut your trap!" Keith snapped back. You calmed down a little bit, especially when Tristan came up behind you. You didn't want Eric to come even a kilometre near you. After Keith said that, you got a little scared, but forced not to show it.

"I knew there had to be no way you could draw ball three 7 Completed cards turn after turn!" Yugi said accusingly.

Keith growled deeply and before he can throw a counter remark, Pegasus instructed two of his guards to throw Keith out. Keith didn't go down easily; he tried getting away from the two suits but they kept a firm grip on him and dragged him out.

You let out a sigh that you were holding in from when Keith said he'll send Eric to....you know....it was actually almost getting to you, but then you thought of letting it go. It was causing too much pressure.

Suddenly from out of nowhere, there came a loud yell and out from Keith's door came Keith himself. "I won't forgive you Pegasus!" he cried as he jumped from the platform and onto his mat. Then he jumped up to the balcony Pegasus was sitting on and pointed to his head. (ME: In the Japanese version, he's holding a gun to his head. *gasp* lol. xD)

"I'm not going down like this!" Keith resisted. "Now hand over the 3 million dollars and you'll be let off easy."

"Hmph." The man on the chair merely let out and you saw him silently move a foot over something that looked to be a switch and in a split second, Keith was tumbling down a large shute that led to the ocean. Wow...long way down.

You gulped down the lump that was in your throat. "Well...." you said slowly, "he's pretty pissed 'cuz he didn't win."

"Yeah, but that's because he didn't win the Continental Championship either." Joey said, coming up behind you.

You immediately turned around and hugged his middle, "Congratulations Joey! You're in the finals!...............oh..............oh gods no.............." you let him go and then looked from Yugi to Joey. "Y-you don't think.......oh no." Yugi just won the duel against Mai. Joey won the duel against Keith. They're both in the finals. They'll have to duel each other!

Yugi got what you were saying and looked down. "I guess we have to....I mean if we don't then there's no way there'll be a winner."

"But you guys are practically brothers!" You protested. "That's so unfair!"

The boys looked to each other and didn't say a word. Then you realized what they were thinking.

"No....." you said, your eyes tearing up, "......no......if I win against Eric, I'm going to drop out of the tournament. There's no way I'm going to go against you guys!"

Joey put a friendly arm around your shoulder and said, "We don't want to go against you or each other just as much as you don't want to either."

Yugi nodded. "Joey's right. I don't want to go against either of you, two of my closest friends, but....if you don't duel, you won't get anywhere. Standing up to what's in life and in your path of it can make you stronger for what's up ahead. Backing down....will just make you weaker."

You registered everyword Yugi said as you looked at him. He gave you the same look Joey was giving you; a mix of sadness and care. They didn't want you to back down. They wanted you to keep going. It'll just make you weaker if you don't. So you went with your choice.

After sighing, you said to the boys in front of you, "....Ok...I'll......I'll do it, but that doesn't mean that I'll go easy on you two."

Joey smiled and hugged you close to him by your shoulders. "That's the spirit, but right now, You gotta prove to that little pack of weed that you're better than him. Ready for this?"

You rubbed your eyes of anything wet and nodded, "Yup. I'm ready."

"Would Eric Hall and Sarah Wind come to the dueling arena please."

You breathed in and then out and waved to the gang before going down the stairs. "Wish me luck guys."

"Good luck Sarah!" the group sang.

Yugi looked after you and whispered, "Good luck."

As you walked through the door to your side of the platform, you saw a familiar boy standing on the other end with his hands in his pockets. You blinked.

"How in the world did you get there so fast?" you asked aloud as you put your duel deck onto the mat.

Eric shrugged nonchalantly and did the same, "You just don't see me do you?"

You glared at him. "I don't want to. Now let's get this duel on the road."

When Croquet asked for your qualification cards, you held yours up but then began smirking because Eric doesn't have one. That night he tried getting Yugi's you assumed he doesn't have one, but he proved you wrong when he held up The Glory of the King's Right Hand, the card for the 3 million dollars. Your mouth fell open.

"B-but...I thought you didn't have one!" you asked him, confused.

He smirked, "That was only something to get my way. Or almost but you came along and almost strangled me."

You shrugged and smirked your own, "Your welcome."

He let out a low growl and drew his cards, "Let's just get this over with."

You kept your hand up too, "OK. No good luck to you though."

He smiled, "Because I don't need it?"

You shook your head, "No....because you're an asshole."

He glared at you and you started your move.

"I summon my faithful and loyal Dimensional Alchemist! Come on out! (1300ATK/0200DEF)" Your monster appeared on the field in attack position. You leaned back a bit on your feet. "Let's see what you got." you dared.

Eric smirked and drew a card from his deck, "I play one card face down on the field and end my turn."  
You cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm.............he didn't play any cards...it could be a trap. He's gotta be up to something....but what?'

You sighed and said, trying to be intimidating, "Heh. Is that all you got?" You drew your card smirked. "Alright! Eric? Here's a card that'll kill ya! Because you aren't allowed to revive your monsters back to the field from the Graveyard once I play this! I play Dimensional Fissure!" The card appeared in the side of your field.

Eric's eyes widened and he looked to his hand, "I knew you had that card, but I never knew you had it in your hand right now?!"

You smirked and crossed your arms, "Here's the deal; any monster sent to the Graveyard in any way is automatically.....wait for it.....removed from play!" You smiled in conquerment as you stared Eric down. He looked back at you gaping.

He gave you a small smile and ran his hand through his hair, "Oh god....jeez I missed that card."

You blinked and then glanced towards the group. They were just as confused as you were. How in the world did he know about some of your cards? You didn't remember using them in your last duel with Eric. What's he talking about?

"Wait..." you heard Joey say. "How does he know--has he played you before Duelist Kingdom Sarah?"  
You looked back at him surprised. Why would he ask that? Unless....

"Um....." you heard yourself stutter suddenly. You looked to Eric who was smirking at your helplessness to not remembering what your soul did in the modern time while half of it was resting in it's sarcophagus. You were well confuzzled. (^-^')

"She won't be able to remember." Eric said, knocking you out of your thoughts. Everyone gave him a look. He lokoed up to you and sighed, watching you like this obviously made him mad. He couldn't stand to see you so lost.

"I'll explain." he said smirking and leaning against the platform.

"What are you talking about Eric?!" you asked totally losing your temper. He smirked which ticked you off even more.

He chuckled heartedly before saying, "Oh baby that blow? That was me." he said patting his chest.

Your eyes widened and you gasped, along with the rest of your friends in the balcony.

"Y-you were the one I was dueling when I lost my memory?" you asked, your temper dieing and replacing it now was instant stutterment.

He nodded. "Yes. I'm the same one."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked that part! See ya next chapter! :) Sorry about not a lot of detail in the duels, but I think you understood what happened and decided not to repeat it. Again, sorry to those who hate me for it. =( But over all, hope you liked it. Reviews please.


	20. Retrieving Memory

**Author's Note:** Last time, it was the beginning of you vs. Eric. And now in these chapters and on, I'm going to try a different point of view. Hope it's better. ^^'

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**IMPORTANT NEWS!: **I will not be here for a month in the summer to update. =( I'm going to visit my cousins in another country. Our plan is from July 16 to August 23. I know...I know....you're gonna hate this and so am I but I really REALLY miss my cousins! And I wanna see my uncle's baby! =3 Hope everyone understands. But I WILL make a commitment about something; I'll work on my rough drafts there when I get the chance and then when I come back, I will work my butt off and get those parts up onto the site. Again.....really really sorry! =( But I still hope you keep me on alert and keep looking back to check if I write up a part or not. Again, so sorry. Hope you understand. *sniffs* I'm gonna miss you my readers! =( But for now.....Hope you like this part. ^-^

* * *

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 19**

**LP: Sarah: 2000/Eric: 2000**

My heart started thumping loudly in my chest. The other half of my spirit that was wondering the modern world encountered Eric and my memory was lost by the same person too.

What happened that day that caused my memory to be lost and cause a worldwide story about the Dueling Legend?

I was still so confused.

"Eric..." I said slowly, as to not break up. Holding my tears back was something I was used to. With all the wars I fought back in Egypt and watching my fellow soldiers die right before my eyes, casted something solemn into my life. It was almost the same story here.

"What do you mean...that you were the same person? I was dueling YOU when I lost my memory?"

Eric stood on his end of the platform smirking. It was clear that he was enjoying the fact that he knew more than I did. It kind of ticked me off inside.

"Yeah. I'm the guy." he said, placing his hands on the mat in front of him and leaning against it. He glanced to the group in the balcony that was looking down at the duel in anticipation. I could tell they were worried for me and my anger subsided.

"I'll tell you the story." Eric said, my anger rising a bit to the surface at his voice. He smirked again and then it fell. I blinked.

"Sarah, do you remember that one news channel that showed you on a stretcher?" he said, softly. That was the first time this whole tournament I heard him sound caring. Right then, I almost gave pity.

When I didn't say anything, he continued, "Well....here it is.

"_It was a November afternoon; the sun was up, but the air was still freezing, as if signaling the beginning of winter. A young girl and a young boy walked into the stadium for the last duel of the tournament. They were both really good players, but of course only one can win this championship._

"_The girl stepped forth and put her deck onto the mat. Stepping aside, you can clearly see her beauty. Her hair reflected the sun's rays, and her face was as fine as silk. She was as talented as a goddess too _—I blushed, never being complimented like this_—_.

"_Suddenly the boy, her opponent, came into view. He was a fan, admirer if you will. He liked everything about her, but he wanted the championship title too and he wouldn't let someone get in the way of that._

"_The both of them started off their first few moves; the neither of them backing down, giving their hardest. When it was again the boy's turn, he drew his card and believed the duel was about to end. He claimed the card would help him win and he even said "I dedicate this move to you." to the girl. He played a wicked combo that had the girl on the run...or so he thought."_

Eric stopped for a second, just to smile to himself; probably remembering what happened that day. My friends in the balcony were listening to him tentatively and I...I was clutching the hem of my shirt and twisting it nervously into different creases with my bangs covering my eyes. The story just made my heart drop into the pit of my stomach, as if it was friend's soul who suffered this, but it was mine.

"_The girl was so good _—continued Eric—_, she went around the guy's cards. The boy didn't know what was coming. He was done, but he wouldn't admit it. He threw down a couple of more cards and summoned his most powerful monster!_

"_But suddenly, just as the girl was admiring the creature before her, everything changed._

"_Because of the cold temperatures, and the tournament was supposed to end last week but there was tie in the middle, the freezing air hit a cord deep inside the platform, causing the monster summoned by the boy to automatically attack the girl. And the circuit was also brought to make the attack life like!_

"_The girl was hit. She was knocked to the ground, and was sent skidding towards the bleachers. The boy dropped his cards and ran for his opponent while everyone else tried to turn off the dueling system from letting the virus do anything else. Someone nearby called 9-1-1 and the boy was left with the girl's head in his lap; unconscious and bleeding like crazy._

"_When she was brought to the hospital, and the doctors were done analyzing the damage, they told the news with a sunken heart. She appeared all over the globe and so was the tragedy."_

Eric clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, holding something back. I took a step back on his sudden emotion. It was the first time I saw him almost CRYING for me. Talk about tough love. xD

"_The virus hit her so hard she,__—_he choked here_—__that she lost her memory."_

Everyone stood in silence as Eric clenched and unclenched his fists. So that's how I lost my memory....

"_Of course everyone did everything in their power to help her." _he continued, bringing his gaze back up to mine. _"And all of it paid off. Here she is, standing before you, in another tournament, healthy as ever." _His eyes flashed. _"With the same boy on the other end."_

As everything registered into my mind, I couldn't help wondering that maybe that was the reason I couldn't remember what my other half did in the modern times. The whole accident might have interfered with my other half's mind into not remembering. Memory loss.

"Th-thanks for the reminder Eric." I said, still remembering the fact that he put me up for every duel as a prize and not wanting to get distracted. "But story time's over and I need to win this tournament to help a couple of my friends. Are you ready for this?"

Eric gave me a sorrowful look. He understood the fact that you were grateful for the memory shot, but he also understood what it meant for you to go through his goal. Which returned back to his mind and he began smirking all over again. He didn't fully forget why he was here.

"Very well." he said and motioned towards my side of the platform. "I believe its still your move?"

I nodded my head and drew my card. "I play one card face down and end my turn." As Eric was drawing his card, I glanced towards the balcony to the group looking down at the game. Only this time they didn't really look like they were enjoying this......the look on their faces made my stomach flip.

Was it a mix of sadness? Curiosity? What's it called when your friends just realized that you lost your memory and that your down there dueling the same person who was dueling you when the tragedy happened and they couldn't help but feel bad for you going through that?

....Pity?......

'No.' I said strongly into my mind. The thought of it made my heart leap. 'Why pity? I don't need that. It'll make me feel like I'm weak. I can't be shown weak. What'll happen when Yami starts getting into crap and I'm too weak to protect him because of the thought of being pitied on?' Eric drove me out of my thoughts by saying something about 'me being in trouble with his next move....'

"I play Careless Retreat!" he said activating the card. "When this card is played, especially if both our life points are the same, I get to summon any monster from my deck!"

My eyes widened and I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Y-you can summon your strongest monster that way..." I realized.

He nodded, grinning like a fool and looked through his deck. "That's right baby girl and now behold..." he held up the card to show me but I anime sweat dropped.

"Maybe if you play the card.....I'll be able to see it...?"

He blinked for a couple seconds but then blushed a light red colour. "O-oh...right. Heh." He put down the card and announced proudly, "Ladies and gentlemen.....please welcome the amazing....Triple Threat Dragon!"

A majestic, white, shining dragon emerged from the bottom of the platform and rose to stand in front of Eric. It was so beautiful, what with it's outstretched wings and glimmering scales, it looked almost as pretty as when the Blue-Eyes came up. I looked at the dragon in front of me in complete awe, but what Eric said caught me off guard.

"Can't get your eyes off it?"

I blinked my eyes and looked to Eric confused. He was smirking all over again and this time, I was getting VERY annoyed.

"What is it this time?" I asked breathing out.

The guy motioned towards his dragon. "Pretty powerful, huh?" he asked.

I gave the dragon a second look. Then just shook my head disagreeing with him. Even though it had 2800 attack points and 2500 defense points, there was something else catching my attention.

"No." I said simply. "It's just too beautiful to destroy."

Eric anime fell, causing me to smirk. I can hear a stifled giggle to my upper left.

When my opponent climbed back up to his knees, I saw him smiling.

"Heh.....that's the exact same thing you said when I summoned it in our first duel."

"Wh-what are you....." My eyes widened again. "This is that monster that attacked me.......isn't it....."

Eric sighed and ran his fingers through his hair while getting up to his feet. "Yes." he said looking up to me. "This is the same one that went hay-wire."

I shot a worried glance towards the people up in the stands. Their ex-pitied faces were filled to the brim with worry now. And I just realized why. They were thinking that maybe by coincidence the platform I'm standing on will short circuit the same way it did on that one November afternoon. A small shiver went up my spine just by thinking about it, but I shook it off thinking it won't happen again.

"Well its very beautiful." I said smirking, catching Eric off guard. 'He thought I'd be scared! Well he's gonna pay for that mistake....'

"I believe its still your move?" I said slyly. He scoffed merely at your track and shook his head.

"Of course.....attack!" I gulped as the shimmering dragon blew a jet stream of ice and water at my Dimensional Alchemist. My monster disappeared in an instant and so were some of my life points.

**LP: Sarah: 0500/Eric: 2000**

--Strike that, a LOT of my life points...

I gritted my teeth and stared at the spot my Alchemist was on a second ago. "You.....TOOK OUT THREE QUARTERS OF MY LIFE POINTS!!!" I said in mock horror. There's a slim chance he might actually BEAT me....

Eric simply shrugged his shoulders and shook his orange haired head. "You never know, but I do have a chance now don't I...."

My eye almost twitched.

"Your turn."

After letting the growl in my throat die down, I said, "Fine by me..." and drew my next card, suddenly my mind being set to the monster in front of me. 'Its pretty powerful.......Just a few hundred life points lower than the Blue-Eyes.....I wonder if......'

"Well......" I said, almost sounding bored, as if I've done this so many times. Eric's eyes squinted as I kept going. I twirled the card in my hand around my fingers and continued saying, "I think even though you have an advantage....I might--excuse me--I WILL win, because this card will drive you insane."

I slipped the card onto the mat and watched it activate.

"Bright Shine? Come and win me the duel!"

My part of the field began glowing uncontrollably and brightly. Eric had to literally shield his eyes with his arms to keep from burning anything. A solid shape of light appeared onto the middle of my field and soon it began to show detail.

Sleek armor, a sword at the hip, a smooth helmet pointing down, and when the warrior looked up, her blazing scarlet eyes glistened with the thirst for the blood of the dragon in front of her.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I said droning my voice for dramatic effect. Everyone in the balcony to my left waited just as anxiously as my opponent was. Obviously it looked just like my Sword of Deception; what with her pink and white shining armor and long bladed sword, but this version had a glint of something totally different. Her armor began having a slight glow to it and when she tilted the sword in her sheathe, it gave everyone who looked at it a shiver down their spine.

"May I present to you.....by the power of my magic card 'Bright Shine', I have summoned my Sword of Deception onto the field. But notice her differences. It's true she's been summoned directly to the field from my hand, I could have done that anytime, but by summoning her using this card, I can automatically upgrade her to her fullest form."

Eric squinted his eyes; I couldn't tell if it was from the brightness or just because he was pissed. "So......what? Does it gain some sort of magic powers or something?"

I gave him a smirk, "No. It just means my Sword of Deception gets 2000 more attack points." Eric's jaw dropped to the ground as he watched the warrior in front of him raise her attack points to 4000. (**Author's Note: **If you recall from chapter 9, Sword of Deception originally had 2000. 2000+2000=4000. xD lol.)

Joey held his head in his hands, "Holy cannoli that's a lot of points!!"

Yugi smiled down and nodded, "Yeah, she has a chance of beating him now!"

"And of course I want to attack." I said grinning like a fool. My Sword of Deception rose her blade from out of her sheate and held it out to her side. She ran right at the dragon and with one swish of her powerful sword, the dragon shattered.

"No!" cried Eric in agony. "That was not cool!"

**LP: Sarah: 0500/Eric: 1200**

"If that wasn't cool, then this is TORTURE!" I said triumphant of the attack and his reaction as I activated my face down card. "I play my trap card too!"

Eric threw his hands up to the air, "Great! It got even better!"

"Return from the Different Dimension!" Suddenly there was another bright light as two more figures came onto my side of the field. Everyone nearly dropped to the floor when they saw Eric's Triple Threat Dragon appear back onto the field with my Dimensional Alchemist. Eric fumed.

"How the hell did my dragon come back?! And on your side of the field too?!"

"Well..." I started, keeping him in suspense. "Remember that continuous spell card called, Dimensional Fissure, I played earlier on in the duel? Instead of going to the Graveyard, they were removed from play, remember? Now with Return from the Different Dimention, I can summon as many removed from play monsters as I can onto my field. That's why your dragon's on my side. And all of it just for half my life points.'

"I'm gonna cry."

"You should Eric! Because its not going to be a pretty site!" I played one more magic card, making sure this would end the duel once and for all. "I also play the magic card, Direct Attack! And like the name states, I can attack your life points directly!"

Yugi's eyes widened, "Woah! Attacking life points directly? Eric's a goner!"

"You're right Yugi!" I said smiling widely. "Triple Threat Dragon and Dimensional Alchemist, attack Eric's life points!"

Both monsters put their blasts together and brought Eric down. His eyes widened and his body slouched in defeat.

**LP: Sarah: 0250/Eric: 0000**

I jumped up, punching a fist into the air. "Yes! I won!"

Eric began realizing his defeat and started picking up his cards. "That was a good duel." he said solemnly.

I shrugged. "It was. Good luck Eric."

He smiled and waved a small wave to you and the rest of the gang and walked out the door behind him. I knew personally that that wasn't the last time I would see him. There was some feeling deep inside me that said he'll come back. I shivered at the thought of dueling him again but shrugged it off and hoped for the best for him in his future.

There was another thought striking me in the back of my mind. I turned my gaze to look at the two boys whom I've grown to admire. They looked down at me too, but this time, they only had a sad sort of face on.

'Yugi....Joey...'

'...Sarah...'

The final duel to depict who would go against Pegasus was next. And the three of you were in it.

'I guess this is it.' I thought. 'The next duel will tell us who will go against Pegasus and save everyone.'

This was going to be interesting.

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**Author's Note:** So.....Eric's done. Will you meet him again? That's not even a problem compared to what's going to happen next. Stay tuned for Chapter 20. Reviews are appreciated and I hope you liked this one. :)


	21. Friends Dueling

**Author's Note:**Well......Sarah is done her duel against Eric and now its her against Yugi and Joey. What'll happen between the three friends? Will one back down to let the other two go? Or will they be too weak to even fight one? I don't why I suddenly started asking questions, but lets find out; here in Chapter 20. Hm....I guess I should do this more often. xD Yay! Chapter 20! Hope you like it. xD Hey guys? Sorry I haven't updated in SO long! I had midterms; exams, and then a couple of projects. Really sorry but I got busy with all of it, but I'm trying my hardest. Thanks. :)

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**IMPORTANT NEWS!:**Do you want pictures to something in my fanfic? Well, I've got links to some characters and monsters on my profile so you should check it out. If there's one that's not on the list, please message me and I'll put it up. Thanks. ^^

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**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 20**

After the duel was over, I realized two things. One, I won, yay, but the other thing was clouding my mind with the after effect of poison.

I had to duel against Yugi and Joey, and my heart immediately began hurting like hell.

They were the closest thing I had to family, including Tristan, Tea, and Bakura (Ryou), and now I had to go against them in order to help them.

I hung my head low as I waited outside the doors to the arena. Everyone climbed down the balcony steps and turned the corner to come face to face with me. I straightened my shoulders and stood in front of them as best I could. I gave them a small smile before mustering up the courage to say, "So....I guess this is it."

Yugi and Joey immediately looked down. I could tell they weren't up for it either, but it was what should be done. The best anyone could do now....was do their best.

"Sarah..." Yugi started, but just by hearing his voice I felt like crying. These guys.....I've only known them for like what.....a week? Or something? And now we were so close, it felt as though nothing could stand in the low amount of space between us. But I knew in order for Yugi's grandfather, Joey's sister, and the Kaiba brothers to be saved, we needed to do this.

"You guys..." I started, swallowing the tears back as hard as I could. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, but....I can drop out of the tournament and then the both of you can duel..."

"Nah." Joey cut in, which surprised you. "It won't be the same. Knowing you went out of the tournament just so we can have a shot doesn't really feel right...right Yug'?"

Yugi nodded beside him. "That's right. We'll be dueling our hardest but with you gone.....I know I'll feel pretty weak......do you know what I'm saying?"

"So if your friends are right by you..." Tea observed, "....you feel stronger? Is that what you're saying Yugi?"

"And if Sarah quit because she didn't want to cut in between you guys...." Bakura (Remember...Ryou) said next, "...you would feel like all her hard work was for nothing. And all you would feel is quilt."

"Those points are exactly the points going through my mind." Yugi said to the two. Then he turned back to me. "All the work you put in, just to get out of the finals and not face your fears.....it'd be pretty dumb don't you think?"

I merely laughed slightly and nodded. "You're right. Thanks guys." I put my hand in the middle, kinda like how the Three Musketeers do with their swords, and said with as much determination in me, "Let's do this and make everyone we're fighting for proud."

Joey smiled and put his hand right beside mine; ours skins barely touching. "I'm in for sure."

Yugi put his hand in too. "Me too. There's no way we're going to let each other down like that, ok?" He turned to me with a hopeful smile and like he thought, I DID smile back. We looked to each other and then shot our arms up shouting, "Let's duel!"

Once the doors opened behind us, we stood side my side next to each other looking through them. I knew that they were right. If I backed down, I would only be proving that I was scared of facing what destiny had put in my way. They knew that they would be committing the same thing if they quit too. So the moral here was that_ friends stick by each other no matter what_. And for the first time my whole life....I found the meaning to that today.

I'm ready for this.

"Would the three finalists please make their way to the dueling arena please." announced Croquet in his normal monotone. I took a good look at the platform because as I well noticed, there are three of us. And the _normal_ dueling platform had places for _two_ people.

So how was this going to work?

Well, knowing Pegasus...of course he'd do something.

He replaced the two people platform with a triangular looking platform with three spots for three people on each corner. I cocked my head to the side and looked at it weirdly. Pegasus' ideas of platforms were very...er let's say...interesting.

"So as you can see," Croquet continued, "There are three spots in total now; one for each of you."

It was an equilateral triangle platform, completely replacing the rectangular platform the same way. (So, like at the beginning of the finals, in Kaiba's and Pegasus' duel, you remember how the dueling platform came down from the ceiling right? Same thing here only with a triangular platform with 3 spots for three people at each corner of the triangle. I hope that makes sense. xD)

One corner of the platform was attached to the pathway we were on and then the other pathway was stuck in between the other two spots. A thin path emerged to lead two of us to them.

I took in a deep breath, trying to get my tune in before taking a step onto the path leading to the other side of the platform. I felt someone else behind me too, coming up to the second spot. I laid my deck out onto the mat and looked up to face the two boys in front of me. Joey was to my right and Yugi was to my left. I took in another deep breath and tried saying without making my voice shake, "Good luck guys."

They brought their eyes to mine and kept the gaze for a few seconds. I found hurt; hurt deep inside them. Pegasus put us into a duel to face each other. It was going to be hard, but none of us could back down. It'll just make us weaker along the way. And knowing when people would find out about Yami, life will just get harder. They'll try and get to him. I pushed the thought away and focused on what Joey was saying.

"We'll do our best right?" He said never blinking. Yugi nodded and then turned to me. I shook my head 'yes' too and then drew my hand.

"We'll do our best...." I said trying to make it stick into my mind. My hand was pretty good so I decided to call it.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Joey: 2000/Sarah: 2000**

"My move boys. And get ready." I laid a card down in attack position. "I put one card face down and summon D. D. Assailant (1700ATK/1600DEF)!"

My monster appeared in a ball of light in front of my eyes and I stood back. "So..." I said smirking, totally changing my attitude. "Let's see what you boys are made of. Yugi? I dare you."

Yugi's Millennium Puzzle glowed for one second and I was the only one to notice it. Yami stood in his place, with a very unknown look to his face. "Get ready Sarah." he said, intimidating. I smiled.

"I summon Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300ATK/2100DEF)!" Yugi said, placing his monster on the field. I knew what came next. "Attack Sarah's Assailant!"

The knight drove his horse straight into my warrior, but right on time, I played my trap card.

"I play the trap; Waboku! This card allows no battle damage to me for the turn. It also keeps my monsters from being destroyed." I gave Yugi a slight smile. "It was a good move, Yugi."

He merely half-smirked and nodded his head. "I end my turn." he said.

I heard Joey take in a deep breath and then draw his card. "Alright guys. I guess this turn, I'll just put one card face down and summon Baby Dragon in defence mode." His one card appeared onto the field and so did his Baby Dragon. "I end my turn."

"My move." I drew a card and smirked, suddenly realizing what I got. "I play the card Dimensional Fissure! You know what this card does; all the monsters that were sent to the Graveyard, are removed from play instead!"

".....Didn't she beat Eric with that card?" Joey asked cautiously turning his head to Yugi. The other boy nodded in response as he watched the blond hold his head with his hands, "Nah! I'm dead!"

"I dunno." I said nonchalantly. "...You COULD beat me....you just have to get around it." I put one more card down. "I play one more card face down and summon Banisher of Radiance (1600ATK/0000DEF) in attack mode and end my turn."

"How in the world will Yug' beat that?" Joey mocked. If I was holding a pencil, I would have been breaking it in half and then throwing it at the blond, but all I had to do then was cross my arms and start glowering. Joey probably didn't expect that because he had a face on telling me he regretted what he said. "Your move Yugi, pal." he squeaked and I smirked in conquerment.

"I will only place one card face down and end my turn." I slowly turned my head to give him a look of pure confusion. But then I realized why he didn't attack.

"You know it's a trap. Ok, ok. FINE! Maybe I should have been a little more careful!" I retorted. Yugi only smirked, knowing where this little drama session was going. Perhaps he remembered something NOW? Oh forget it. It'll happen when the time is right, but I couldn't help always thinking that I wanted him to remember me faster. Oh, why did the evil have to come back?

"But you know." I continued, making sure not to lose the eyes that had kept their glance on me, waiting to finish. "I could have just as easily NOT put a trap card onto the field."

"Yeah right." Joey exclaimed. I glared at the blond. "If you told us...what fun would that be?"

"You're not going to let me taunt you guys...are you...."

"Nope! As a matter if fact, I'mma just carry on your little threat but on my side. I just set you guys up." He played a card. "Time Wizard!"

I face-palmed; completely forgetting about his Baby Dragon was a rookie mistake! 'How in the world did I _forget_ that?!'

"Time Roulette spin! What'll it land on today..." he probed as everyone watched the spinning arrow.

I kept muttering...hoping it'll work. "Skull...skull...skull..."

"Are you just _asking_ to get whacked?!" Joey retorted glaring daggers at me.

I sheepishly grinned at him. The arrow was starting to stop its spinning now and I watched in anticipation as I watched it stop on a(n)....

"Yes! It's a skull! Sorry Joey, but I'm an opponent, and opponents love it when _their_ opponent's plan doesn't work." I smirked at him as the Time Wizard disappeared and 500 (I'm making it 500) of his life points went along with it.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Joey: 1500/Sarah: 2000**

Joey's jaw dropped as he saw his life points decrease. He added a glare toward me but I simply took it. "That was real...real venomous."

"Oooh.....big word for such a small brain." I laughed. Joey almost felt like cussing; what I thought he would do if I kept it up. "Sorry man....." I apologized. "I'm...getting...WAY too competitive."

"Nah." The blond smiled. "Perfectly fine. I don't mind. I'm actually glad you're having the time of your life."

I shook my head, suddenly completely out of it. "I'm not enjoying this Joey. Not at all. I'm just trying to get my mind off it. Going against the both of you is--" I choked here a little bit, the picture of my brother suddenly coming into my mind. I quickly pushed the thought away and put a straight face back on. "--its killing me."

Yugi nodded, "I know what you mean. I can't stand to see the both of you on the other side of the platform."

Joey sighed and placed one card face down on the field. "That ends my turn. We have to go through this guys." he said looking up to meet our gazes.

I gave him a look and then drew my next card. There wasn't much I could do now. "I draw and end my turn." The trap I set on the field should keep me in check for a while. Yugi wouldn't attack if he knows its a trap. I turn to look at him as he draws and then notice a small smirk planted on his lips. This causes me to be a little confused.

"I just drew something that'll help me with your trap card." I gulped. Obviously I spoke too soon.

"Oh really? What have you got?"

"Mystical Space Typhoon."

"Perfect."

There was a storm following right after Yugi put down the card. The tornado in the middle of the field came right on top of my trap card and shattered it into a million pieces.

"No!" I caught my head in my hands in distress. "I needed that card!"

"Too bad." Yugi mocked. I breathed a couple times just to get me back to normal. That card, as I said, was something I needed. It was something to help me with my spell card Dimensional Fissure, but now I won't be able to use it.

And I know what's coming next.

"You know what's coming next, don't you Sarah?" Yugi taunted. I remained calm. I couldn't blow up in front of the Pharaoh, even though he doesn't remember. It was a sign of disrespect. I kept calm as I turned to look at the person who will claim some of my life points in a matter of seconds and gave him a weak smile.

"Hm...I dunno...an attack?"

"How right you are." He said seductively, just to make me scared. I let out a small weak whimper as he ordered his knight to attack.

"Gaia, attack Sarah's Banisher of Radiance!"

The knight tore through my defence like a slice of cake. (Which by the way....I ate today because of my birthday. Hehe. xD) My Banisher of Radiance disappeared and I clenched my fists by my sides.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Joey: 1500/Sarah: 1700**

I couldn't help but growl low and indefinitely. The boys clearly heard me and began looking terrified.

"...I liked that card..." I said as calmly as I could, gritting my teeth together. Acting like a normal opponent was the only thing keeping me from breaking down. Just this duel was killing me. If this was for fun, I'd be on the floor laughing my head off.

"....I...." Yugi couldn't think of anything to say really. He thought I'd rip him in half the way I growled but the look on my face after that moment calmed him down. I was giving the both of them a small smile.

"I'm kidding." I said still smiling. The boys blinked some. "I mean not about the favourite card thing but I was about the anger. Your turn Joey."

They gave me a look of pure....sympathy. I think they figured my weakness was going against the two people in the world who were closest to me after family. We've bonded so well over the last few days from the moment Joey hit me with a skateboard to this very game. I don't even think I'd be sane if I hadn't figured these guys out.

"Alright..." Joey said and played a card. "I summon Axe Raider (1700ATK/1150DEF)! In attack mode! And I'll attack Sarah's Assailant!" Axe Raider slashed his weapon through my Assailant in a perfect swipe and it left me gaping. Because both monsters disappeared right after.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Joey: 1500/Sarah: 1000**

"Why would you do something like that?" I asked momentarily breaking my gaping session. I had no cards on the field and now I had no monsters either. Joey just created what's called a stalemate; he attacked with a monster that had the same number of attack points as mine. Which left both our lifepoints in tact but our monsters were gone. (And because of the spell card Dimensional Fissure, they are removed from play and not thrown into the Graveyard.)

"'Cuz you're defenseless now." He shrugged. I hated his wise ass.

"My turn already? Wow..." I asked amused and I drew. The blond gave me a short glare before resuming to watch my move. I glanced over to Yugi over my hand and then finally realized that he didn't have any of his life points reduced. I shot a look to Joey next and saw the same realization. I smirked and then he smirked back.

Next target? Yugi.

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**Author's Note:** I'M SO TERRIBLY SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE IN TWO WEEKS! I'm so horrible! *anime crying* I had midterms, 4 teeth removed, and my birthday all in the first week and then I had braces in the second week! It was so busy I got dizzy! It's true and I'm sorry! I'm such a failure! Please don't hate me. =( Just give me a review of how bad I did but please don't hate me. x(


	22. Friend's 'Till the End

**Author's Note: **Well….last time I tried a different point of view. Hopefully it turned out ok. And also…it was the duel between Sarah, Joey, and Yugi. So far, Sarah and Joey have both lost some life points but now they realized that Yugi was still standing with all of his points in tact. So this time….the two will try a different approach to try and win.

Again, I'm really sorry it took me forever to put that last part up. If you read that chapter, it'll explain at the end why I was so late in updating. I'm really sorry. =(

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 21**

**CURRENT LP: Yugi: 2000/Joey: 1500/Sarah: 1000**

"La la la…." I stalled my time just to tick Joey off for no good apparent reason. It felt to me like we were dueling like we were before the tournament; for fun.

"Stop keeping us in suspense!" The blond boy said in exasperation. He was holding his head in his hands like me taking my time was killing him. "Just make your move already."

"Jeez you need to calm down boy." I said nonchalantly but, nonetheless, I played a card. "I play one card face down. Then I summon my Red Dragon (1800ATK/1200DEF)!" An elegant dragon silhouette appeared onto the field in front of me and the boys. It was a normal, averaged size dragon with small spikes coming down its tail and flaring red scales. The card I set face down appeared beside it. "My move's done."

"Very well." Yugi said simply. He drew his card and decided to attack Joey's Baby Dragon and to rid the field of it once and for all.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Joey: 0400/Sarah: 1000**

"Yikes…" I heard Tristan mutter from above us. "That must've been hard."

Joey stared dumbfounded at his life point meter. "You're kidding….right?" he asked disbelievingly.

I shot him a glare at his stupidity. "We have a strategy Joey." I added a wink which he caught and understood me. "We can hurt his life points too. It's just because of his knight, we weren't able to touch them….but now we can if you CATCH MY DRIFT."

The blond held his hands up, "I got it. I got it." He turned toward Yugi who was blinking. "My move right?" After Yugi nodded, Joey happily drew from his deck and smiled at his card.

"I summon the Flame Swordsman in attack mode!" His monster appeared onto the field right in front of my dragon as if they were going to start battling right then and there….but we had other plans.

"I activate my magic card!" I suddenly stepped in. The card that was faced down turned upright and revealed what I had hidden.

"Polymerization!" There was a swirl of colours encasing the two monsters on both our fields as I cried out the rest of our move: "Fuse the Flame Swordsman and Red Dragon to form the--

Joey and I both shouted the last couple of words for dramatic effect. "Flame Rider (2900ATK/1500DEF)!" Since my dragon was red and Flame Swordsman had a fire element, the combo went great together and Yugi looked up at it astonished.

"Attack!"

The dragon rode straight at Gaia and Flame Swordsman swung his sword swiftly at him. The knight shredded to pieces and Yugi's life points finally took a plunge.

**LP: Yugi: 1300/Joey: 0400/Sarah: 1000**

"How's that for a thrill ride!" I exclaimed punching the air alongside Joey.

Yugi put on a small smile and said, "That was a very well figured plan Sarah and Joey." We sheepishly smiled.

"I take it Joey's turn is done. So all I would like to do is place one card face down and hand it over to Yugi." I turned my attention toward the said boy and waited patiently for his turn. We were all going down slowly but the farther we went, the more it looked like Yugi was getting sadder. He probably had a plan or strategy to throw us off and he didn't want to play it. Or…he was hating. Hating how Pegasus was using three friends going against each other for entertainment. I know I felt that way right then. But after this duel is done, and the winner goes against him, I silently hoped for the best for the three of us.

"I....can't do this." I heard Yugi say and I looked toward him with an arched brow. His face was sunken, like how I was so used to seeing in Egypt when he was in some sort of distress. He frowned on the card he just drew and then he nervously brought his gaze up to lock with Joey's and mine.

"....I can't play it...."

I shrugged. "You know Yugi....if there's one thing I've learned is that every duel you play makes you a bit stronger than how you were before. And the bond we've grown into also teaches us the same concept.

What I'm trying to say is.....is that--even though we're fighting against each other, we know we're friends, right? And no matter who beats who, we'll always stay like that."

"You're right Sarah." Joey smiled solemnly. "I mean, I know I'd want the best person capable for the last duel of this tournament to win, even if it isn't me. But this duel will determine who's ready for Pegasus. And if there's a card in your hand right now, that you think will beat us, play it. You should definitely play it."

"....So....we'll stay friends right?" Yugi asked, some hope filling into his voice now.

I nodded my head, "'Till the end buddy. We're here for ya." I could understand why Yami had a hard time with that. His mind was trapped in darkness for a while. His heart needs a little time to thaw out the hurt that's been causing him pain for the last few millennia. He needs what I thought he needed in the show, 'the light of friendship'. I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Or something along those lines.... ^^'

"So...you gonna play?" I smirked. He looked back to the card in his hand and put it back in his hand after nodding with a small smile on his face.

"I'll play the spell card Double Summon. As the name states, it will allow me to summon two monsters this turn. And I summon Kuriboh and Celtic Guardian. To end my move, I'll play one card face down." He brought his face up to look at us and sighed. "Ok....I'll find the strength in me to keep fighting."

"That's the spirit!" I smiled and Joey cheered along with me. He drew his card and played his move. He summoned Giltia the Knight (1850ATK/1500DEF) and decided attacking Yugi's Kuriboh, but Yugi played his face down card.

"Not so fast Joey!" he cried and the card rose to reveal itself. "Multiply! Create an army of Kuribohs!"

The Kuriboh began multiplying rapidly, and just in time to neutralize Joey's attack.

I gritted my teeth. He played a good combo. Yugi used the same strategy on Kaiba in their duel before coming into the castle. Now he was using it here, and from what I saw last time, it was really hard to get rid of. He has one more card face down, I wonder if this was the thing that he didn't want to do...or if it's the face down card.

"Excellent!" I said straining myself to be happy. "Just....awesome! Now...how do we get rid of them?"

Yugi chuckled and crossed his arms amused. "Why would I tell you? I thought you liked this combination."

I pouted. "It's a really good move if I'm not the one getting hit by it!"

"Good lord Sarah," Joey sighed. "You let him activate the card!"

I glared at the blond as he sheepishly grinned back at me. "I'm not the one who _attacked_..."

"Boys and girls!" Tristan said in aggravation as he held his head. "Just hop over them or something!"

I hung my head. 'If only I had wings on my feet....yeah sure....' Tea and Bakura gave Tristan a weird look.

"...multiply...make sure not to get caught next time..." I muttered under my breath before drawing. "Flame Rider, attack his Celtic Guardian!" The dragon blew out a stream of fire at the knight and turned it into ashes. But since it was in defence mode, Yugi didn't lose any lifepoints, which means he didn't lose the match.

**LP: Yugi: 1300/Joey: 0400/Sarah: 1000**

"I activate my trap card!" Yugi exclaimed and he flipped over his card. "Removed Decreasion!" The card appeared onto the field and I stared at it incredulously. I did NOT like the way it was named.

"I'm actually glad you played your spell card Dimensional Fissure, Sarah." Yugi said impressively, but I swore he was straining himself from another emotion. "That card is the reason I can play my trap card.

"Because with every monster removed from play, you will lose 300 lifepoints, the both of you."

There was sharp intake of breath as I figured what he meant. He used my spell card against me and now that emotion he was holding in before let lose, and he closed his eyes, letting the tears trickle slowly down his cheeks.

"You've both fought a valiant duel and this is the hardest move I've ever had to make....but it ends now.

"Removed Decreasion! Activate!"

I let my tears fall down too. "So it's over...." I said in a whisper. Then I stood straight up and blinked and wiped away the tears. Joey began rubbing his eyes furiously, and when he looked up to me, I nodded.

"Go ahead Yugi!" I cheered.

"It's cool!" Joey said next. There was a bright light encasing the whole arena and when it died down, there was complete silence except for the heavy breathing from the three of us.

Yugi hunched over on his side of the platform just as the holograms began disappearing and our lifepoints hit rock bottom. I said to him, "Aww....come on Yugi."

He brought his gaze up to mine and our eyes locked. "It was a good duel. The strategy when you used my spell card, Dimensional Fissure, to play that trap card, I was shocked. That was an excellent move. And you deserve to win. Congratulations."

"Sarah's right." Joey smiled. "I liked that duel. It taught us to fight with our hearts and I for one am really glad you won the duel."

"Thank you." Yugi said and a small smile unfolded on his lips. "Thank you for telling me that....we're still friends."

"It's not a problem." I said smiling back. Now that I mentioned his smile, I kinda missed it. ^///^ (Damn....I had a good sentence for Yugi's part and my computer glitched. BAKA TECHNOLOGY! -_- xD)

"I really appreciate the understanding." He said and stood back straight.

"Hey." I shrugged and smirked. "What are FRIENDS for?" The three of us kept smiling a little at each other, but then the annoying clapping of Pegasus from his 'throne' up in the balcony ruined the moment, and we were forced to look back up.

"That was a marvellous duel! Simply splendid!" He said in his fake cheerfulness. I clenched my fists. This guy bugged me. Not just because of his Millennium Eye, but also because of his attitude. It seemed to me he knew he'll win in everything.

Well that's gonna change in his duel against Yugi.

"So I suppose it's time for the duel against me and Yugi? Hmm?" He stood from his chair and turned to leave, chuckling to himself.

"The final duel will commence after 3 minutes." Croquet announced just before he retreated as well. The three of us on the arena went back out through the doors and up onto the balcony. It was then Joey decided to throw his arms around both of our shoulders in a friendly gesture.

"So! We're cool right?" He asked grinning.

I smiled. "Of course we are. Right....Yugi?"

There was a flicker of light in his eyes as he looked toward me. Then he nodded, "Of course."

"Now hey." I called to get everyone's attention as Tristan, Tea, and Bakura ran over to meet us. "We're all rooting for you in this last duel." I held his shoulder as I said this, "Make your grandfather proud." Then I quickly removed my hand just as he smiled. I'm still a little shy around him, ok?

"Right." He nodded. The three minutes ended then and Yugi turned to go back down to the arena. The platform changed back into a one-on-one platform and Yugi stood on one side, holding his ground.

"This is it." I breathed. It was finally the last duel for the tournament. The last chance to get back Yugi's grandfather and the Kaiba brothers. It was going to be a tough duel. Especially it being against Pegasus and because it was the final duel. All we could do was root for him.

Maybe not for long.

"Get ready Pegasus!" Yugi exclaimed as his opponent finally made his appearance onto his side of the field. "Now is the time for you to feel my wrath, and let my friends go!"

Pegasus flicked his wrist in an annoyed motion. "Come now Yugi-boy. You know you can only reclaim their souls when you've shown us that special card!"

Yugi fished out The King's Opposite Hand from out of his pockets and showed it to the man's face. "There. Are you pleased now?" He said this with such venom, I might have thought he was going to poison someone with his voice. Of course. He finally had what he wanted. A place in the finals to beat Pegasus and get back his grandfather and Kaiba and Mokuba. This was happening NOW. And I finally realized why the card might be blank.

If Yugi loses, his soul will be trapped like everyone else's.

'No.' I said strongly into my mind. 'That can't happen. Not with the Pharaoh.' Of course we'll have to see. And now the duel was starting.

Two of Pegasus' suits walked across the platform, each one holding a pillow to hold the decks for both duelists. Yugi picked up Pegasus' deck and shuffled it while Pegasus merely touched the top of Yugi's deck and leaned back saying, "It's good as it is." Both suits returned the decks and walked back off the platform.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Pegasus: 2000**

Both duelists gave each other glares before Yugi drew his first card. "I summon a monster in defence mode." he said and his card played onto the field upside down. "Then I place another card face down and end my turn." Immediately Pegasus began chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Joey asked from my right. I looked down in curiosity and saw the light flicker of light fade away from behind the silver man's hair. I knew instantly that he used his Millennium Eye to look into Yugi's mind. I clenched my fists and teeth.

"That bastard." I cursed. "He's using his Millennium Eye to see Yugi's cards. He knows what's in his hand!"

"What?" Tea gasped. "He can see Yugi's cards?"

I nodded my head. "Its just like that video he sent from the very beginning of this mess. He used his magic to win that game."

Tristan banged the railing with his fists. "Damn! Yugi can't go down like this!"

"He won't!" I assured him. "I know him-WE know him. He'll come through." I turned back to the duel with a dark stare directed to Pegasus. I almost gave that away. Jeez.

The brunette turned on his heel and looked both ways down the hall.

"Eh....Tristan? What are you doin'? Joey asked hesitantly as he watched his pal walk down the hall.

"I'm going to see if I can get Mokuba's body." he said. "If Pegasus can really steal souls, the least we can do is bring back his body once Pegasus releases his soul."

I nodded in his direction. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Ok then....good luck man."

"You too. Keep cheering Yugi on for me. I'll be back as soon as possible." He turned again and darted out the hall, but not before Bakura shouted good luck.

"Now then." Pegasus said smugly toward Yugi. "Let's continue on. Shall we?

"I play one card face down and summon Red Archery Girl (1500DEF) in defence mode. Your move again...Yugi-boy."

Yugi drew his next card and looked through his hand then he glanced between his cards and Pegasus. He figured that his cards were no longer a secret because of the man's Millennium Eye. But he wouldn't give him a chance to enjoy the triumph. He saw the smug look on the man's face, and figured it out.

"I wonder why he would do that..." I wondered aloud. Tea blinked next to me. "I mean its a weak monster and it's in defence mode. Is he TRYING to get Yugi to attack?"

Yugi's next move didn't surprise Pegasus. He switched his face down monster into attack mode and activated his face down card. It was Beaver Warrior (1200ATK) and Horn of the Unicorn. The magic card raised his monster's attack points by 700 points, making it 1900, enough to bring down his Red Archery Girl. But when he ordered Beaver Warrior to attack, Pegasus played this next move without hesitation.

"I play my trap card, Tears of a Mermaid!" he activated the card which automatically destroyed Horn of the Unicorn, bringing Beaver Warrior's attack points back to its original state. "Now I switch Red Archery Girl into attack mode and make her attack your Beaver Warrior!" The mermaid held up her bow and arrow and sent a streaming light through Yugi's monster. His lifepoints were of course affected.

**LP: Yugi: 1800/Pegasus: 2000**

"Hey! Yugi had that round completely won!" Tea exclaimed confused. I shook my head.

"You're right Tea. He did. But because of Pegasus' Millennium Eye, he read Yugi's move." I let out a sigh and leaned against the railing hanging my head. "This is NOT good. If this keeps up, Yugi might not have a chance at winning at all."

"But we have to keep faith in him." Bakura said to me, holding my shoulder.

I sighed again, "You're right Bakura." I turned my attention back to the duel and thought only in my head, 'But I wish we could do something to help, instead of just standing here watching helplessly...if this were Egypt, I wouldn't have let this happen...' I frowned at what I just said into my mind. I wasn't helping the situation by crying over what I couldn't do. 'What-ifs' weren't allowed here.

So...Yugi plays a monster upside down in defence mode again and ends his turn. Then its Pegasus' turn and he summons a monster in defence mode too, Ryu-Ran (2600DEF) and changes Red Archery Girl into the same position. When its' Yugi's turn to draw again, Pegasus reads his mind and found he drew Summoned Skull. Then he recited all the cards in Yugi's hand, saying that Summoned Skull will go great with them. This drove me off the wall. It wasn't fair! We all know Yugi can beat anyone in a fair duel, but with that Millennium Eye put up against him....it was almost impossible. But we told him not to give up. He'll find a way...I knew because the Pharaoh always did.

More and more of the moves go through and it felt like the whole thing was planned out just for Pegasus' advantages. Every time Yugi pulled on a good strategy, Pegasus always countered with a much mightier attack. His Toons left Yugi on the ropes. He couldn't attack them while they hid themselves in their book and Pegasus' Gorgon's Eye (see episode 36 for WAY more details. xD) made every defence monster Yugi put up into a stone sculpture. I almost felt like crying.....we've come so far....this couldn't be the end....could it?

"Yugi, you can't give up!" I shouted over to him when I saw him hang his head, about ready to give up, or just thinking about it. He forced himself to bring his eyes up to mine and I could see all the emotions running through him like a crash of waves, but not very bright ones.

I hadn't seen so much pain in my life before, before my mother and father had to leave of course but...still....it was strong.

I wanted to use my own Millennium Item to throw Pegasus away....but I knew it wouldn't be a match for him. He's had so much experience with his in the modern world, and plus, all my powers are still locked. They would be free for me to access once I get to know the Pharaoh more....or when he remembers something from his past. Either way...I'm helpless right now.

But not for long.

During the current turn, Yugi has hidden his Dark Magician inside his Magical Hats, thinking it would buy him some time to figure out how to beat the wannabe in front of him. But Pegasus merely chuckles all over again and says that the hat hiding his Magician will no longer be known only to Yugi, but to him in a matter of seconds. So he uses his Millennium Eye again, but during that time, I felt something like a pinch in my chest. I held the hem of my shirt and looked down wide-eyed. It gave me a feeling that....they were talking....

_Yugi and Yami were talking._

I couldn't feel anything. Both Millennium Puzzle holders are now talking to each other. So Yugi found out about Yami? I think so. Because they're in their minds right now, talking about something....a strategy? Could be.

I felt like smiling my ass off, but the moment Pegasus began chuckling relentlessly again threw me off my thought.

"I know which hat is concealing your Magician now Yugi!" He said slyly. "Now I can destroy him! And have you beaten!"

I gasped as I saw Pegasus order his monster to attack the hat on the far left. I held my breath....wishing Yugi and Yami had thought of something.....

And they did. The hat turned out to be empty and I jumped up and down.

"Too bad Pegasus!" Yugi said. And it literally _was_ Yugi. Yami had gone back into the Puzzle and had let Yugi take over.

Wait a minute.....are they doing....

"What? I thought for sure your Dark Magician was hiding under that hat! How could I be wrong?" Pegasus asked horrified.

"Simple." Yugi stated and he sounded so much more confident. "We're just going to keep switching minds during our turns."

Pegasus' eyes turned to slits. "Mind Shuffle?" He asked, not believing what was going on.

"Yes." Yugi said triumphantly. "Now no matter how you try to probe my mind again, we'll just use mind shuffle to switch minds and give you the wrong information. Just like how we did now."

"No!" Pegasus cried. "You found a way around my power! You will pay for this!"

"Pay with your lifepoints!" I challenged. "Because he just owned you!"

"Tch." The silver haired man scoffed and batted some of his hair away from his eyes. "Don't you worry little Sarah; he won't beat me."

"What the hell am I worrying for?" I protested, nearly falling off the railing. "Yugi's going all the way and he's going to win!"

There was a split silence when suddenly the man we all loathed started chuckling immensely.

"Do you think you will win?" He asked with venom dripping from his voice. "Not with a Shadow Game you won't!"

"PEGASUS!" I shouted, my eyes became a bit hazy when he said 'Shadow Game'. He wasn't really going to put Yugi through that was he?

But of course....Yugi wasn't experienced at all with this magic...it would kill him!

"Say hello to the darkness Yugi-boy!" Pegasus said as he raised his arms around him. A sheet of black and purple cloud began forming on top of the dueling arena and my heart nearly stopped.

"Pegasus you bastard!" I shouted at my fullest. I felt my eyes begin to sting. "Why Yugi? He doesn't have what it takes!"

"Precisely my point my dear!" He said completely amused. There was a final chuckle until the darkness completely covered the platform.

Suddenly my heart became cold and I fell to my knees beside the railing and everyone else. My heart almost began ripping in two.

This couldn't be happening. Yugi just started learning how to harness the power of his Millennium Puzzle, and now, he's going up against the creator of Duel Monsters in a Shadow Game, which he has no experience about.

A tear trickled down my cheek and landed on my clenched hand.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I really hope you liked that part! I'm really sorry it's so long and that it took me a while, but I'm beginning to think that I won't be able to update the way I can....only about once a week but I'm trying! Thanks again for reading! Reviews are appreciated! ^^ Thank you! :)


	23. Final Duel

**Author's Note:** Well then....it's finally Yugi vs. Pegasus, the duel that'll change the fate of Yugi's friends and family. Currently, Yugi and Yami have just figured out how to get past Pegasus' Millennium Eye, but as soon as they seemed to begin to win, the shadow induced man began a Shadow Game. Now, Sarah knows that the Realm of Shadows is a dangerous place, and she also knows that no mortal can live through its dark powers. Can Yugi be able to survive? We'll see, in this next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. ^^

**Important News!: **JUST TO LET EVERYONE KNOW! I CHANGED THE NAMES OF ALL THE CHAPTERS! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I CHANGED THE CONTENT! I just got really dizzy with how all the titles were the same in the drop-down menu. ^^' Really, REALLY sorry. But I hope it's easier. Again, SORRY!

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**Duelist Kingdom-The Beginning of a New Story Part/Chapter 22 **

(^--These titles won't change though... xD)

I couldn't feel...anything. My body was full of anger and sadness from the moment our enemy decided to throw Yugi into a Shadow Game. I knew that not many people could live in that treacherous Realm, and especially a mortal who has never experienced something like this. A spark of anger flamed throughout me as I ran through the numbness I felt. There was anger, immense anger that resided right now, in the pit of my stomach.

But there was also fear, the worst kind of fear imaginable at the moment. I mean if Yugi couldn't handle the stress....

"No..." I said in a low whisper. Joey bent down beside me with a hand on my shoulder, his face horror-stricken.

"Sarah...What-what's going on? Where the hell did my pal go?"

"Calm down Joey!" Tea hissed, but the absolute fright was still seen on her face. "She's in a state of shock."

Joey got back up and banged his fist onto the railing. "...Yugi!" He called. "If you can hear me pal....respond!"

There was silence, which seemed to tick Joey off even more.

"Sarah." Tea said trying to get me to stand up. "Sarah...you have to get a grip-we'll think of something..."

I managed to get to my feet but I still struggled a bit. I held onto the railing for support as I gazed down at the big black ball of swirl magic that encased the whole dueling field.

My brain turned to ash inside my head. Everything seemed to be burning. I couldn't think straight. But then a sudden pain in me made me fall to my knees again, and this time, it snapped me out of my reverie.

"Did you guys....feel that?" I asked them a little shaken.

Joey looked down for a split second, but then he subconsciously rubbed his chest.

I stood back on my feet, gathering all the energy I could. My Locket began giving off an unpleasant heat and my skin grew a bit warm as if I've caught a fever indoors.

"You guys!" someone called from down the hall. I looked to where the voice was coming from to see Tristan running toward us with both Mokuba and Bakura on his back.

The brunette saw our saddened and fright-filled expressions and at once looked down to the dueling arena. "....damn...." he cursed as he carefully put Mokuba and Bakura down beside the railing, propping their heads up.

I blinked. "Tristan? What happened to Bakura?" I hadn't noticed he had left....he probably went to go check on Tristan.

"Oh, him?" Tristan scoffed. "He nearly tried to kill me back there. It was the spirit of the Ring that almost killed me to get Mokuba's body. Something to do with getting a new one for himself...."

My throat tightened. "Tristan..." I asked calmly. "What happened to him?"

"No sweat!" he said waving his hand. "I took the godforsaken Ring and chucked it out the window, as far as I could throw it. I don't think he'll be bothering us any time soon."

I wasn't so sure. Millennium Items had a very weird power and they usually found their way back to their original owners, somehow.

"Anyway, what happened here? Mind explaining what's with the giant tornado?"

"Yugi's inside." I said, anger replacing my sadness. I couldn't start pitying over the fact I couldn't do anything to help the both of them. "He's dueling Pegasus in a Shadow Game."

Tristan blinked momentarily. "A...Shadow Game?"

I nodded as he scratched his head.

Joey shook his own head confused. "I don't get it.....is it just like the beginning? When Yugi got that tape?"

I nodded again.

"Damn......" he said."How the hell are we supposed to-"

There was a short flash of lighting that went through the ball of shadows and at the same time, a sharp twinge of pain shot up my body. And judging from everyone else's grimaces, the same happened to them.

"What...did you guys feel that?" Tea asked a bit unsure of what just happened. Everyone had their hands to their chests as if covering their hearts from the pain. All of us nodded.

"We have to get down there." I decided, turning with everyone else towards the stairs. They ran by my side down them until we burst through the doors of the arena room. We stopped in front of the shadows, not sure what to do, but if an idea came up, we had enough energy to make it work.

"Yugi!" I called and took a careful step toward the mass of swirling colours. I hesitantly raised my hand up to the blackness and pushed it in. It came back the opposite way reflecting back at me. I quickly removed my hand.

"What was that?" Joey asked. I shook my hand, staring at my hand. I put my whole arm in but the same thing happened.

"Ngh." I said giving my hand and arm a look over. "It clearly means no one can come in or...come out."

Tristan rolled up his sleeves. "Hold on. This'll only take a sec-"And he began racing shoulder first into the darkness. I tried to call him back but he disappeared. I blinked.

"Tristan?" Tea called. We waited to hear something.

"Yeah!" the brunette said back. "I think I just went to the other side! I didn't even get a glimpse of-"He came back to our side and I jumped. "-I didn't see anything. It was all...black."

I frowned and stared at the ground. "How are we supposed to communicate?" But it was like the pain in our hearts suddenly answered our questions. I clutched at my shirt over my heart and fell down to my knees.

The reason I fell to my knees was pretty easy to understand once you hear why. A way for me to help the Pharaoh in the past was to keep an invisible connection between us. And when he felt pain, I felt the same pain, and since Yugi is getting to be a lot closer to the Millennium Puzzle, he's got a small connection to Yami now. Same goes for his friends. They've all got a friendship connection. They feel some of it though, while I feel somewhat of whatever Yugi's feeling. It's one long chain. More about that....might come later on.

"Sarah..." Joey asked grimacing slightly as he bent down beside me and held my shoulders. "What happened? What...what was that?"

"I think Yugi's in trouble." Tea said as she saw me struggle to say anything which she said just now. "He's...he's hurt. We have to help him!"

"Ok now calm down!" Tristan said trying o keep order. Joey helped me up to my feet and held my shoulders close to him. "Even if he was in trouble...how are we supposed to help him? We can't exactly go inside that stupid bubble—"

"Believe." I said straining my voice to speak. It seemed like the air was sucked out of me for that one almost-collapse. Everyone looked at me to keep explaining.

"If we just concentrate....on him....then we'll be able to.....help him..." Wow. First time to feel their pain and I thought that I'd be able to handle it, but it's harder than it looks. It was so bad the first time; I could hardly speak a full and clear sentence.

Joey looked to me unsurely. I must have been looking a bit pale. He was about to ask why this was when he saw me slowly close my eyes. He panicked for a second but then everyone else came around the two of us. Tristan held my left shoulder, while Joey held my right. Tea stood behind me and stared down at the ground. Everyone was. They closed their eyes and concentrated on the one person who needed our help at the moment.

Yugi.

* * *

Pegasus cackled maniacally as he held Yugi on the ropes. He looked like he was in trouble; In front of him stood a great deathly looking monster. It looked so horrid I thought I would wretch right there.

"Face it Yugi!" Pegasus cried triumphantly spreading his arms around him. "Relinquished has your Dark Magician as its shield and you can't do anything about it!" Pegasus chuckled evilly as he watched Yugi sweat.

Now that he mentioned it, it's true. It looked like the Dark Magician was built _into_ the monster's shell. I looked worriedly toward Yugi and it looked like he was ready to give up.

'Damn.' Yugi curses into his mind and I was surprised to hear it. That probably we were in his mind right now, but he didn't seem to notice us. 'Yugi has left one face down card before he left...all his courage into playing it...I have to trust his decision and the next draw I make!'

Yugi took a deep breath and thought, 'Everything's riding up on this draw! Please....let this be the one—'and he drew his card. Pegasus began laughing all over again immediately.

"Say good-bye to the secrecy of your card Yugi-boy!" Pegasus taunted and I felt Yugi's body tense. "It's all over!"

Yugi was about to hang his head when he felt Pegasus' power repel against something from his mind. He looked back up at the scene to find himself face-to-face with me. He looked a bit confused.

"Hey there." I said smiling. He looked at me and then to the group of people around me. Tristan was on my left, Tea was on my right beside me and Joey was beside her. I was holding Yugi's limp soul in my arms when Yami brought his gaze up to meet ours.

"Not so fast Pegasus!" I said making my voice clear. Yami stared at me with amazement and if wondering how I was there all of a sudden.

Joey nodded. "That's right! This is a no-you-zone! Get outta here you trespasser!" And with that remark coming from all of us combined, we pushed Pegasus' mind reading out of Yugi's mind. He was thrown back from the sudden force of us being there.

Yami smiled. "Everyone." He said. "Thank you."

"Pegasus just couldn't get it." I said shaking my head.

"He thinks his Eye makes all the difference." Joey said.

"But he's wrong." Tea said.

"Friends do." Tristan finished and Yami seemed to beam with his new determination. He gave me one final look before turning around and facing Pegasus with a new threat.

"They're right." He said cunningly. "Now with my friends by my side, I can defeat you the way you should be defeated!" Pegasus cried out in horror.

Yami played his card. "I play Brain Control! To take control of your Relinquished! Since I already have Jigen Bakudan (that bomb dude xD), because you were so kind enough to give it to me, I finally play my last and final card to officially put you on end!" With a deep breath and a smile lingering on his lips, he played the face-down card Yugi played.

"Dark Magic Ritual!"

There was a flash of intense light and two golden pots appeared behind each monster Yami was controlling at the moment. "I sacrifice your Relinquished and Jigen Bakudan to summon...the bringer to your destruction!"

One more bright light encased the entire arena and I had to look away to keep my eyes from burning. The two monsters Yami commanded to go into the pots, disappeared and in their place stood something much greater. A grand shadow casted itself across both fields and when it finally showed its owner, everyone gasped.

"MAGICIAN OF BLACK CHAOS!" The shadow came into view for the first time, a beautiful structure of magic stood before Pegasus, challenging him with his eyes alone. He held his staff beside him with power radiating all around.

"Now Magician of Black Chaos...attack! And reduce Pegasus' life points to dust!" The Magician held up his staff and pointed it at the silver haired man. A dark light escaped from the end and lodged itself right at Pegasus' life points. They hit zero....and the fight was over.

Pegasus cried out in agony, raising his hands to his head. His yell lasted a good few minutes. My friends and I smiled at Yami. When everyone else closed their eyes to get out of his heart, I stayed back to lay Yugi's soul carefully on the ground of his mind. Yami appeared in front of me. He had a soft, questioning look on his face when he saw me. My Locket glinted against the light shining down on us.

I didn't talk to him. I simply gave him a small smile and wave. I knew he wanted to get some answers. I could see it in his face. He returned my smile with a small one of his own.

I closed my eyes again and found myself back in my own body standing outside the big ball of shadows, but it was slowly dissolving into the air. It soon cleared out and everyone looked over at the field in anxiety....waiting....

And then we saw him. Standing bright and tall against what his weak form was before. We all broke out into tears (Well...except for the guys anyway... xD) and raced toward him. He slowly turned around and gave us a weak smile.

"Yugi! You're ok!" I said relieved as I hugged him to death. He chuckled weakly.

"I'm fine, Sarah." He said smiling wider now. "Really I am."

"Well then..." Joey said giving Yugi a light pat on the back. "I guess it's safe to say that you did it. You really did it!"

Tea came up behind Joey and pulled him back from his shoulders, making him topple backwards. "What Joey is trying to say Yugi is that we're so happy that you're finally going to be reunited with your grandpa!"

"Oh yeah." Joey said grinning and standing up straight again, "And also—

"Also, we're all impressed of you for being so brave and all." Tristan said cutting Joey off.

"Yeah, impressed. And we're—"

"And...we're proud of you too." I said smiling as I knew I cut Joey off myself.

"GAH!" Joey said growling from behind me. "You guys said everything I was gonna say!"

"Well then talk!" Tea and I said together. "Sheesh!"

Joey shrugged and kept his smile in place. "Nah....Forget it.....Who cares?.....He won. Yugi really won!"

We all jumped for joy, cheering our loudest in a long time for Yugi. He finally won! Everything was going to be ok now!

"We all won." Yugi said as he smiled. "Thanks guys."

I suddenly realized something and stopped cheering. "Wait. It's not over when Pegasus releases all the souls, just like he promised."

Yugi went back to being a little serious and nodded. We turned our heads back to where Pegasus was but—he was gone.

"He's gone!" Yugi cried.

"Why am I not surprised by this....?" Joey asked half pissed.

"Slippery-double-crossing-snake!" Tristan could've said worse, but he held it in. "C'mon. We have to find him."

Tea said, "But wait. We can't leave Mokuba and Bakura here all alone."

Suddenly from above the balcony came the shout of a familiar voice. "Hey!" it cried. "Up here!" It was Bakura waving over the railing. My guard was brought up a bit more at the sight of him.

"Hey, Bakura!" Yugi said happy to see him.

"Feeling back to normal man?" Tristan asked.

Bakura rose a brow in confusion. "What?" he asked. "Have I not been normal, Tristan?"

Tristan's eyes narrowed slightly. "He doesn't remember....about the Ring...Yeah! That Millennium Ring was making you act like a complete freak!"

Yugi's eyes perked up. "His...Millennium Ring? Where is it now, Tristan?"

Tristan looked to the ground. "Gone. I chucked that thing as far as I could."

"Oh well." Bakura said with a shrug. "If it was making me act weird, then I guess it was for the best. But it appears I'm fine now."

The five of us exchanged looks. Then I said, looking back up toward the balcony, "Well, if you're ok, could you watch Mokuba for us?"

Bakura blinked. "Sure." He replied. "I suppose."

Joey brought his gaze back to us. "Good. Then let's go and find that creep Pegasus." Yugi nodded, indicating that he was fine running and then we all ran towards the exit to the castle.

"After all," I said running through the doors to the castle and opening it up for everyone, "He made a promise to free those souls and he's gonna keep it."

The five us ran up one tower and came out on top of the castle rooftops. We ran down the brick walkways until we stopped to catch our breaths. The sun was high in the sky, as if mocking us that we couldn't find that silver haired man anywhere.

"I can't see him." Tristan panted, doubling over a bit. Everyone murmured in agreement.

Then the strangest thing happened. My Locket started to glow a bright light and its warmth made my skin burn.

"Wait!" I said, turning to face one of the many towers surrounding us as if an imaginary force was pushing me to it. I raised a hesitant finger to the tower that was giving off the strange aura my Locket picked up. "He' s there."

"How can you be sure?" Tea asked curiously.

"I can...sense it."

"Wait, what do you mean you could—Sarah, wait!" I was already running towards my destination as Joey cut off his sentence and sped up beside me, with everyone following behind.

I stopped abruptly in the doorway to the tower, just as one of Pegasus', suits was coming down the stairs, with Pegasus himself thrown over his shoulder. He was groaning in pain.

I took in a sharp breath in an instant. "Wh-what happened to Pegasus?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Croquet came out of the doorway, bringing the rear of the group of guards in front of him. "It's none of your concern." He snapped. "He's suddenly taken ill."

"But what about grandpa and the others?" Yugi asked, clenching his fists. "He promised to free their souls. He promised!"

Croquet simply pushed past all of us and walked out of the tower. "Not my department." He said as he disappeared.

"Did you see the look on Pegasus?" Joey asked a little frightened. "Wonder what happened."

"Maybe we should check out the tower." I suggested.

* * *

Joey and Tristan were admiring a huge portrait of the woman we've seen in the dining room. The same portrait was here too.

"So this is where Pegasus hangs out?" Joey asked casually as Tea, Yugi and I walked up to a desk on the other side of the room. I went to stand at the end of it.

"Whoever that woman is," Joey continued. "She sure is pretty." Tristan gave a small nod and agreed.

"Hey, look at this." Tea said as she picked up a book that was lying in the center of the wooden desk. "It looks like a diary. Hey, maybe this can tell us the answers we're looking for!"

As she turns a few pages, a card falls from out of it. Yugi carefully picks it up off the ground and holds it up to his eye level, and then he glances to the portrait, claiming that the woman was everywhere.

Tea began to read from out of the diary. It said that the whole reason Pegasus hosted the whole tournament was because he wanted to try and win Kaiba's company. He wanted to use their technology to bring back his late wife.

"It says here," Tea said, skimming her fingers over the text. "That he also needed the power of the Millennium Items in order to bring her back to life. And then he would use Kaiba's technology to create a body for her."

"Millennium....Items?" Joey asked frowning. "Isn't that kinda like what Yugi's Puzzle is?"

I slapped a fist into my open hand in frustration. "Of course! It all makes sense now...."

Yugi turned to me. "What do you mean?" he asked.

I turned back around to face the portrait and walked up to it. Running my fingers over the tapestry I replied, "He used your grandpa...to lure you here so he could get your Millennium Puzzle." I shook my head. What kind of sick man would even _think_ of using someone?

"...Grandpa..." Yugi said his voice barely audible. I bit my tongue from ever saying that and walked on over back to him. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him to my side.

"We'll get him back Yugi." I promised. "His soul card has to be here somewhere."

My eyes past the desk and fell onto the bent figure of Joey, who was looking at what looked to be like three duel monster cards. But something was different about them...very different.

"Hey why are these cards blank?" Tristan asked coming up next to his blond friend as he picked one up leisurely.

My eyes widened as I remembered The Glory of the King's Opposite Hand card Yugi used in final duels. It was blank....just like these ones...

"Those are soul cards." I say almost immediately. Joey and Tristan looked back up to give me questioning looks.

"But...they're empty..." Joey stated, as if trying to figure out what I just said. Then he began grinning like a fool. I grinned back.

I felt a very happy feeling inside me like if I don't yell or scream or shout or jump around, I might burst. But I didn't do anything; I just stood there smiling while everyone kept giving me funny looks except for Joey. Hey, maybe he wasn't THAT blond....

"Don't you guys see?" I asked thrilled. But the others didn't look so much like that. I took one card off the desk and showed them. "This is almost like The Glory of the King's Opposite Hand. Do you remember when Yugi said that maybe the reason it was blank was probably because if he loses, his soul gets trapped into it? Well...these are almost like that exact card! Do you guys get it now?"

Tristan, Tea, and Yugi put their chin in their hands in thought. Joey and I stood side by side with anime sweat drops on our heads.

I turned to Joey. "And I thought you were blond..." I said, saying my recent thought out loud. He sighed.

"I thought so too." He replied. (lol sorry. I couldn't resist. xD)

Yugi finally snapped his fingers in realization. It only took him 2 seconds for all that to sink in. "So that means..."

"Grandpa's free!" We all cried until Tristan decided to bring bad news. "But wait. So is Kaiba...and Mokuba. We should go back to that dueling room and fast!"

I shrugged as we started running out the tower, leaving the cards and diary back in their appropriate places. "Well you know Kaiba." I smirked as we ran through a door and turned left. "He's pretty hot." All the guys scoffed. They were just relieved that Grandpa Mutou was back in his body that's lying in the hospital bed right now. And so was I.

We burst through the doors of the familiar balcony and saw Bakura bent over Mokuba's body. I almost yelled for him to move when he turned his head around and sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness you're back." He said. "Mokuba just woke up."

I kneeled onto the little boy's right side, opposite to Bakura and placed a warm hand on his cold shoulder. "Hey there Mokuba." I said softly. "How're you feeling?"

He looked a little dazed, but he was back. His soul ran through his body, warming up every corner. I felt his body heat come back to him, just as he was replying.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked, his eyes a little glazed. "Where's Seto?"

"You're in the castle." I said calmly. I didn't want to tell him if his brother was fine or not. Tristan hadn't mentioned anything about the eldest. "As for your brother..."

Croquet appeared next to us from the opposite side of the floor. He cleared his throat to get our attention. "Mr. Pegasus won't be able to come because of his illness." He explained. "But he would still give the awards, just as planned. Yugi has already gotten the wish of three souls to be released, now for winning the semi-finals, the check for 3 million dollars."

After that last statement was said, Croquet pulled out an envelope from the inside of his suit. He held it out for Yugi, but Yugi only looked to Joey smiling.

"It's all yours Joey." He said, his smile never faltering.

Joey smiled too and gratefully took the envelope from Croquet's hand. "Thanks Yugi. I won't forget what you've done for me."

I smiled in spite of myself. They love helping each other out.

* * *

"Seto?" Mokuba cried out to the sky. The group and I had decided to search all around the castle for the older Kaiba, but we couldn't find him anywhere. It was now sunset and the sky was beginning to turn a hazy orange.

"Kaiba's nowhere to be found!" Joey said in exasperation, but that didn't slow down Mokuba. Every time he said Kaiba's first name, it made me yearn for my own family. I had lost them at such an early age. And even before that...my brother—

"Seto!" Mokuba's sudden surprised voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up from the spot on the ground that I was looking at to the person now standing in front of us. It was Kaiba.

(**Author's Note:** Now about that whole 'brother' concept...I'm not telling you ANY details until later on. Really sorry, but I have to keep the suspense goin' ^^' Thanks.)

He stood at the front of the gates to the castle with his trench coat rustling in the wind along with his hair. (x3) He was smiling at the sight of his younger brother.

Mokuba began getting all teary eyed as he ran over to his older brother and embraced him tightly. Joey wiped his eyes playfully, saying not to get all mushy. I couldn't help myself getting a little happier at their reunion.

Beside me, Yugi shuffled his feet. "Sarah?" he asked. "Are you crying?"

Hah. Wow, I had a tear down my cheek and I did NOT notice. I quickly wiped it away and shook my head. "Nah. You know.....brotherly reunion. I couldn't help it."

But there was something bothering Yugi. I could tell from the look on his face. He was like an open book. You could read him clearly.

"Is something wrong Yugi?" I asked him. He looked up to me and sighed.

"Actually..." he started. "Yeah. I mean, can I ask you something?"

I blinked. "Of course you can." I said to him confused.

"Well...." he shuffled his feet again. "I was thinking about what you said about the Millennium Eye being a lethal weapon. I couldn't get that out of my mind. I mean....how did you know that? And all the other stuff you said too. The little....hints that you leave us. I was just wondering—"

"What I'm hiding?" I asked, a small smile lingering on my lips. Yugi looked a little surprised I knew what he meant. I looked down to my feet.

"I'm sorry Yugi." I said. "I _am_ hiding something from you guys." He gave me questioning look, but I continued.

"The reason I didn't tell anyone my secret is because....it wasn't the right time. I had to make certain I knew exactly where he was before I could say anything..."

"Wait." Yugi said suddenly. "Who?"

I turned my head to look him straight in the eye. I saw total confusion. I didn't mean to confuse him...but I had to be careful with what I said. I couldn't say everything at once.

The only thing I did at that time was place my forefinger onto the tip of his Millennium Puzzle. I did even this a little hesitantly. I haven't been able to even look at it 5 millennia...

"You know the spirit inside here right?" I asked softly and Yugi nodded, indicating for me to go on. I swallowed nervously before saying the rest. "I'm his Guardian."

I let this sink in. He didn't look at all shocked, more like a little surprised. I think he knew I had something to do with his Millennium Puzzle from the beginning. Then he closed his eyes and let a small smile crawl onto his face.

"I knew it." He said just as soft as I had talked to him before. "The Millennium Puzzle would always give off a surge of energy whenever you walked by me. I knew from the day I met you, but I kept it to the side of my mind, that you were going to change something in my life. It was just....one of those feelings."

I looked at him, gaping. So he HAD known something. And from the day I met him. I guess I can go on then.

"So...we're ok now? I mean...I know I have tonnes more to tell you but...all in time, right?" I asked him, a little hopeful.

He nodded and kept the smile on his face, but he made it a little wider. "Yeah. It'll all work out in time."

I smiled and held out a hand. I didn't think a hug would be very....er....appropriate. So maybe a handshake would settle this?

He didn't even hesitate to shake my hand. I smiled, again, in spite of myself. Maybe everything would turn out ok. Maybe I'll be able to see the Pharaoh in his actual form up close, instead of a spirit trapped in the Millennium Puzzle.

As I turned my gaze to the Kaiba brothers and the rest of the group, I took in a deep breath of fresh air. I was so close. This was beginning to be a beautiful destiny.

And speaking of his ghost form, I turned one last time to look at Yugi. He was staring toward his right, as if another person was right there beside him and he was talking with them.

I knew then that it might be the spirit in his ghost form. Yugi was smiling, probably getting his name.

...Yami...

'This is a beginning of a new story.' I thought. 'He's finally back.'

I looked to where his figure would be and saw the flash of his eyes, blinking in my direction. I smiled.

'Destiny? You're on.'

This was...The Beginning of a New Story—Duelist Kingdom

.::xXx::.

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** WEEEE! Duelist Kingdom is finished! Now we can get onto the REALY fun! Oh wait. *blink blink* After three more things that just came into mind. When the gang meet Rebecca, Kaiba's Virtual Gamin World, and when they met Duke Devlin. This should go interesting....I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKED DUELIST KINGDOM. SHOUTOUT TO EVERYONE! THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS! And again and always....Reviews are appreciated. ^-^' Take care everyone. :) Thanks again for reading. ^^


	24. Mystery Girl

**Author's Note:** Well, I hope you liked Duelist Kingdom. Sorry about the beginning of the whole thing; it was a bit sketchy. ^^. But I hope you enjoyed it all the same! Enjoy this one! We're so close to Battle City...THEN the fun can begin... lol. ^^ I'm really sorry this part took me two weeks. It was exam week. I'M REALLY SORRY! :(

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!**. Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**The Wrath of Rebecca-"You Stole My Blue-Eyes!" What the Hell? Chapter 23**

Duelist Kingdom was tough, I'd tell ya that much but as soon as Joey realized that all the boats for the island had already left, we all forgot about everything else and tried to catch Kaiba's helicopter before it flew off toward Domino City.

When we reached land, the first thing everyone did was run all the way to the hospital. I said thanks to Kaiba and ruffled Mokuba's hair before I left with the others.

At the hospital, we raced down the hall as quick as we could without getting scolded by the nurses and doctors and when we reached the final hall, we were stopped dead in our tracks. There was Grandpa Mutou, standing in the middle of the hall, next to a nurse, looking healthy as ever.

Yugi nearly got tears in his eyes at the sight of him, and as he ran to his grandfather to give him a hug, I actually felt one of my own tears run down my cheek.

* * *

"We're so glad you're back Mr. Mutou!" I said happily, shouldering my blue duffel bag, as the five of us started walking down the sidewalk toward the Mutou house. Everyone agreed just as happily while Tristan and Joey held up their soda cans in a toast.

"It's great to be back!" the old man said smiling. "I feel brand new thanks to Yugi."

"Aw grandpa." Yugi laughed. "I didn't do anything alone. My friends helped me."

Mr Mutou waved a finger in the air in front of him, "But you managed to save me AND become champion of Duelist Kingdom? That's my boy!"

Yugi nodded, still smiling. "Yup! But I owe you guys." He said turning to look at us over his shoulder.

I gave him a thumbs up and closed one of my eyes. "Hey, we're glad to help. We weren't about to let you stay in that demented dimension anyway." He couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah..." Joey said coming next to me and nudging me playfully in the ribs. "We were pretty fly, weren't we?"

I rolled my eyes and tried coughing into my elbow to hide what I was about to say, "Whatever you say,-*cough* Joey." The blond shot me a glare and I couldn't help but laugh, which just got him to smile back.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." He said nonchalantly. I giggled again.

"Anyways..." Yugi said carrying on while Joey gave me a look for some awkward reason which caused me to blink. "Are you sure you should be walking around grandpa? I mean...we could've called a cab..."

"Nonsense my boy!" Mr. Mutou said happily raising his arms. "I feel as good as new! How about a race everyone?" He stretched to his sides to prove that he was alright but no sooner had he started did we hear a small 'crack'.

"Grandpa! Are you alright?" Yugi asked with sudden concern. Everyone gave him the same look.

"Yes..." he managed to say. "Just a minor setback." We all sighed.

"Hey!" A shrill voice came from out of nowhere. At first I thought it was a bird being tortured. "I've got something to say to you!"

We looked ahead to find a girl with blond hair, put up in pigtails and bright green eyes. She looked to be about half our age; half our height too. She was holding a teddy bear close to her as if it was the last thing on Earth.

"That is." The girl started. "If you are who I think you are."

"Hm? And who might I be?" Mr. Mutou asked, blinking at what the little girl was doing in middle of his doorstep.

"Are you Solomon Mutou?" she asked, but I heard something like accusation ringing through her covered voice.

"Yes I am." Mr. Mutou said. "And who might you be?"

The girl smiled innocently. "Who might I be?" she inquired. "I might be Rebecca. And I might have just moved in. And I might have been waiting forever in front of your shop. It's not nice to keep a lady waiting you know." With each sentence, she made her voice a bit stronger. After all that she even waved a finger at him.

"But why would you be waiting for me?" asked, clearly confused on why someone he's never seen before would be in front of his store and waiting for him.

"Because you have something of mine." Rebecca said. "And I want it back."

I blinked, my head was hurting now. "What of yours?"

The little girl huffed. "I want my Blue-Eyes of course!" Everyone looked to each other really confuzzled now. We all knew that there are four Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in the world; Kaiba has three and then that demented brunette decided to rip Mr. Mutou's in half too. So how is it that a strange little girl comes right out of the blue and says that Yugi's grandpa has her Blue-Eyes? I don't even think that _thought_ made sense...

"As a true champion," Rebecca said now, "I deserve to have the card. I'm the number one duelist in America!"

Everyone was like, "Say what?" They hadn't heard of a child being a duelist, and one who claims to be that good in the first place.

"How is a squirt like you a big, top duelist?" Joey asked bending down in front of Rebecca to mock her height.

"I'm 8!" she said reluctantly.

"Yeah." Joey huffed, standing up to full height. "Inches tall." Rebecca looked like she was going to punch him.

Yugi looked up all of a sudden. "Wait! I remember reading about something on the boat to Duelist Kingdom!" he claimed. Then I nodded, understanding the same thing.

"He's right." I said, backing him up. "I saw him reading an article; something to do with a child prodigy? And that she's the youngest duelist to ever go for a top rank in history."

Yugi nodded, confirming what I just said.

"And with that rank," Rebecca went again, "I was able to find out the Duelist Kingdom positions first. First place went to Yugi Mutou. Second place was a tie, given to both Sarah Wind and Joey Wheeler." Joey stood a bit straighter with pride. "But who cares about second place! Everyone knows that the real deal is winner for the whole tournament!"

Even if that thought hit me too, I didn't try and dart forward to try and strangle the child. Joey wanted to though, but Tristan and I held him back as much as we could.

"So...Rebecca." Yugi said gaining her attention. "What makes you think we have your card?"

"Oh I don't think." she said mater-of-factly. "I know because your grandpa stole it from me."

"Now wait just a minute!" Yugi said, his eyebrows furrowing in anger. "My grandpa would never steal!"

"I was supposed to be given that card!" Rebecca shouted as she pointed accusingly toward Mr. Mutou. "But you stole it from your friend; the friend who cherished so much of your friendship! But you decided to steal!" she cried out, we heard the hatred loud and clear.

"But Rebecca-" I insisted, thinking that maybe we could sort this out, but the little girl turned her head away.

"You're scared to admit it." she said. "How about a duel then? Whoever wins, they get to keep the card!"

Yugi looked from his grandpa to the strange little girl in front of them. "My grandpa isn't in the shape to duel." he said.

"You're scared!" Rebecca cried in indignation. "You're gramps' scared. He thinks he'll lose against me."

This twit had a lot of nerve to say that. With nothing to back us up any further, we decided to just head on over to the nearest dueling arena place to see why in the world Rebecca would want to duel so much. Of course it was for the Blue-Eyes, but what would she say if we told her the card was ripped? My head started aching again. (lol) And everyone's muttering about how incoherent the=is little girl was added to the pressure.

We reached Kaiba's new Kaiba Land...funny how that name works...but then again, it's cute. X3 Anyways, when we reached the dueling area of the park, we walked right up Mokuba, the younger Kaiba.

"Hey Mokuba." I said coming up behind him and ruffling his hair playfully. He playfully swatted my hand away and turned around blushing.

"Hey guys." He greeted. "Long time no see."

I squinted at him. "It's only been a few hours..."

Mokuba laughed and shrugged. "I'm only kidding. So, what brings you here?"

I frowned and crossed my arms. "What...am I not invited?"

The younger Kaiba quickly waved his hands in front of him in defence; "No no!" he said blushing a little again. "It's just...uh..."

I laughed heartedly and just shook my head. "It's alright. I was kidding. But we were actually wondering if we could borrow one of your arenas?"

Mokuba looked behind me and toward the rest of the group, giving them a thoughtful look. Yugi smiled a bit sheepishly and waved back with as much willpower as he could. It doesn't look like he wanted to deal with that little runt we ran into, but he had to for grandpa's sake. By the way, why did Rebecca claim that Mr. Mutou betrayed his friend and his friendship? No matter what, we were going to figure this out.

"Well..." the younger Kaiba said. "Our arenas are booked solid for the next 3 months."

I was just about to hang my head sorrowfully when Mokuba said something else. "But, we do owe you. So count it as done." I smiled and shook his hand, trying to act formal.

"Thank you, Mr. Kaiba." I said. I turned around and gave everyone a thumbs up, just in time to miss Mokuba's tiny little blush. Why so much blushing? (I guess cuz...it's cute. xD)

Rebecca squeezed her way through everyone in the gang and said in that childish voice of hers, "Alright! Let's get a move on!" Mokuba blinked at her confused and most likely annoyed. I gave him an apologetic shrug.

Mokuba led us through many different dueling arenas until he showed us one that was empty and a little ways away from everyone else's. He wished us good luck and was about to turn around to head back when I stopped him. I bent down to ear level with him and whispered;

"But you know Mokuba, if Kaiba ever wanted me over, he can call." I winked at him as he blushed. I know he knew that I meant Kaiba, he probably just felt a bit...awkward.

Mokuba laughed a little nervously and nodded. "I'll be sure to tell him." He said. "It'll drive him wild when he figures out that you actually said that." He waved and ran off, obviously eager to see his older brother blush like a child.

I blinked. Sometimes...I wondered if children were actually as innocent as they make us believe. I just thought it'd be cool to get to know the reincarnation of Priest Seto better. They look so much alike that I know it's his reincarnation. xD

Yugi was just telling his grandpa that he would duel for him. Mr. Mutou massaged the bridge of his nose and said that he'll be fine, but Yugi could see through that. He insisted that he just got out of the hospital and he was in no condition to duel. Rebecca took that with an interested look on her face.

"That would be very interesting..." she said, holding her teddy bear with one hand and holding her chin with her other one. "Rebecca, American Champion (Remember, I'm making Domino City in Japan. Not America like 4Kids changed it to. xD) versus Yugi Mutou, Champion and winner of Duelist Kingdom. It'll be a fantastic win."

"You haven't won yet..." Joey muttered. Tristan and Tea were just shaking their heads at the sight before them; an 8 year old girl is challenging the new King of Games. Joey crossed his arms and began glaring daggers at her.

Yugi and Rebecca walked onto their sides of the arena and Mr. Mutou, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and I stood onto one side. Everyone was giving Rebecca a venomous look. I wouldn't really blame them, but I wasn't paying attention to her at the second. I had my head turned toward Yugi, thinking that maybe Yami would change places with Yugi, but it seemed Yugi didn't want that. He stayed with himself in place on the opposite side of the opponent this time. I didn't check a second time. I was so looking forward to seeing him again after that little episode on Duelist Kingdom.

'*sighs* Maybe...some other time...?' I configured into my head and I stuck with it the whole duel.

Both duelists placed their deck of cards onto the mat in front of them. The holograms activated and Rebecca started it off.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Rebecca: 2000**

"I hope you're ready." She said before placing her monster, Witch of the Black Forest into attack position, "Because I'm about to take you down!"

"Not a chance!" Yugi said and drew his own card for his turn. "I summon Celtic Guardian to attack your Witch of the Black Forest!"

Said warrior swiped his sword clean through the witch's body, making it blow into shards.

"Ah! You destroyed my witch!" Rebecca wailed. Yugi sweat dropped with his face giving the expression of total aggravation.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Rebecca: 1700**

Rebecca suddenly put her teddy bear up to her ear. "What's that teddy?" she asked. "If the Witch of the Black forest is sent to the Graveyard, I can bring a monster with 1500 attack points or less from my deck into my hand? That's a wonderful effect isn't it?" She began rummaging through her deck while everyone stood there dumbfounded. She talks to a bear...?

"We're waiting..." Yugi said drumming his fingers over his mat as the girl his opponent is was now shuffling her deck.

"Don't interrupt me while I'm thinking!" she cried. Everyone cringed.

"That kid could really drive you crazy!" Tea said with a shiver.

"Ugh...don't make my head spin again like that..." I moaned. Tristan and Joey laughed despite what was going on.

"Next I summon Sangan!" Rebecca declared and brought up her monster. "Isn't he cute?"

"Not for long." Yugi said and told his Celtic Guardian to attack her new monster, which he did just as easily as destroyed her other one.

**LP: Yugi: 2000/Rebecca: 1300**

"Oh you're so mean!" Rebecca said holding her face with her hands.

Yugi hung his head for a second with a sigh, "I'm not mean, I'm just playing the game!"

Then she turned to her teddy again. "Oh wait. Teddy said I can play Sangan's effect too; which is to bring another monster with 1500 attack points or less into my hand from my deck again."

"I can't believe she's an All-American champ!" Tristan said. Joey and Tea nodded.

"Yeah...it does seem she's a little...undetected as one..." Joey said with shifty eyes.

Suddenly, Rebecca went all serious. "I play Tribute to the Doomed!" she said and by discarding one card from her hand, she was able to play its effect. "This lets me destroy one of my opponent's monsters. So say good bye to Celtic Guardian!" As soon as she said that a dirty linen cloth came up from out of the ground and wrapped itself around Yugi's monster. Then a hand came up after it, a mummified hand at that, and dragged Celtic Guardian to hi, well, doom. (As the card states)

"I play one monster faced down and end my turn." Rebecca finished off smugly. Everyone gave her a peculiar look.

"She's a lot smarter then she led us to believe." I muttered. "Be careful Yugi!"

'She's right.' Yugi thought. 'That little kid stuff was just an act!'

"That strategy looks awfully familiar..." Mr. Mutou said. It was then that I noticed him watching the duel with interest and a mildly cautious expression on his face.

I raised a brow in confusion. "Mr. Mutou? You think you've seen this before?" I asked.

The old man simply shook his head. "I can't say that I'm sure...but somewhat." He said. I put that thought to one side of my mind. Maybe he was right and he DID see it before, but his memory wasn't letting him know just yet.

"I summon Summoned Skull!" Yugi said as he brought the powerful demon arise from out of the holograms. "And I attack your defence monster with Lightning Strike!"

Summoned Skull did as he was told but Rebecca flipped her card around to reveal the Millennium Shield, a monster with 300 defence points and...a monster that looked like a shield, with the Eye of Horus on it.

My eyes fell on top of the shield and my Locket glowed the slightest bit. I somehow got the feeling that there was something about this duel that was linked to Egypt. I don't really know how I get these feelings...but I guess it's a heritage moment or something.

Since the Millennium Shield has 3000 defence points and Summoned Skulls attack points were 2500, Yugi loses 500 life points.

**LP: Yugi: 1500/Rebecca: 1300**

"Wait a minute!" Mr. Mutou said. All eyes turned to him. "I've seen that card before!"

My eyes widened a bit. "So you HAVE seen this duel somewhere..." I noticed. Mr. Mutou nodded.

"I remember seeing this card—in a game with Professor Arthur Hawkins, at an archaeological dig in Egypt." He said. "It was many years ago, but Arthur and I played this same duel!"

My eyes widened a bit more. So it WAS connected to Egypt...

"I play a magic card now." Rebecca said, cutting me out of my reverie about the shield's origination and Mr. Mutou's duel with Professor Hawkins. "Ring of Magnetism!" A line of electricity encircled the Millennium Shield, but we all noticed the decrease in its defence points; it dropped to 2500.

'Wonder why she did that...'

Yugi didn't understand why she did that. So he just passed his turn.

"I summon Canon Soldier!" Rebecca played her monster to let a robot type appear on the field.

"Be careful Yugi!" Mr. Mutou called. Yugi looked to his grandfather. "If she sacrifices a monster, she can attack your life points directly!" Yugi hesitated, thinking it over and then nodded.

"Attack her Canon Soldier Summoned Skull!" Yugi ordered and the attack was thrown, more like shot, out from the sky. But the lightning didn't hit the targeted monster; instead it was absorbed by the Ring of Magnetism around the Millennium Shield.

"So that's why she on purposely equipped that magic card onto the Millennium Shield!" I said realizing what Rebecca had just done. "Even though it reduced its attack points by 500, she just created a lightning rod!"

"More like a lighting _ring_." Joey said in disbelief. The both us hadn't even realized that we were leaning over the edge of the platform now.

With the same number of defence points as the Summoned Skull's attack points, no damage was done, but now Yugi had to find a way to break through that Millennium Shield, or he's helpless!

Rebecca draws her next card while everyone else sulks at what just happened. Rebecca was faking her cluelessness the whole time! She had a trick up her sleeve from the beginning!

She gave the card a smile before summoning another Witch of the Black Forest, but this time she's sacrificing her to attack Yugi's life points directly.

**LP: Yugi: 1100/Rebecca: 1300**

And since the Witch of the Black Forest was sent to the Graveyard, her ability kicks in; Rebecca is able to add a monster from her deck again.

"She must have learned dueling from someone as experienced as you grandpa." Joey said watching the duel a little wide eyed.

"You might be right Joey." Mr. Mutou replied. I on the other hand, couldn't say anything because of the demented blond climbing almost on top of me to see the duel. I fell down, bringing Joey with me.

"I was taught by someone better than you!" Rebecca said, overhearing what Mr. Mutou said. All heads now turned to her. She was standing rather smugly, with a hand on her hip while the other one held teddy. "I was taught by my grandfather and he was a better duelist than your grandfather ever was!"

Mr. Mutou gave her a thought filled look while his brows furrowed in concentration on figuring out if his theory was correct, on whom this girl's grandfather is.

"Rebecca." He said finally. "What's your last name?"

Rebecca huffed but added a childish smirk, one that was used when a child just won over a toy. "Took you long enough." She retorted. "Yes. My grandfather was Arthur Hawkins. You know him as Professor Arthur Hawkins, but also the man who's Blue-Eyes you stole!"

Everyone was about to yell out in fury with that subject again but Rebecca made something loud and clear. She pointed to Yugi accusingly and said, "Now you'll feel the anger of my grandfather! And Yugi's going to be the one to pay for it!"

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**Author's Note:** Well! I think that went pretty well...I'M REALLY SORRY IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS! AHH! I KOW YOU HATE ME. X( But please don't hate me so much. You must understand that I wanted to write this part up, but I could never get the time. I was trying to get in all my homework so they could be counted in my final mark. Thanks for reading. I hope you don't flame so much, but let me know how I did. Thank you! ^^


	25. An Old Story and An Old Friend

**Author's Note:** Ok! Here's chapter 24. Hope you like it! :)

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**The Wrath of Rebecca-"You Stole My Blue-Eyes!" What the Hell? Chapter 24**

**LP: Yugi: 1100/Rebecca: 1300**

So far, the duel was going pretty well I guess. Rebecca had her Canon Soldier with her Millennium Shield and Ring of Magnetism on the field. And Yugi had his Summoned Skull. Every time he attacks, Summoned Skull's attack will be absorbed by the Ring of Magnetism. He needs to get rid of Rebecca's Canon Soldier before she uses it's ability to get Yugi's life points directly by sacrificing any monster.

"My Grandpa never stole the Blue-Eyes!" Yugi persisted, but Rebecca kept thinking otherwise.

"Your grandpa DID steal it!" she accused again. "It was my grandpa's favourite card and you stole it from him!"

"Rebecca, let me tell you a story about me and your grandfather." Mr. Mutou insisted, but Rebecca, again, kept thinking otherwise.

"Just more of your lies? No thanks!" she retorted. Mr. Mutou shook his head.

"This isn't a lie." He said. Then he closed his eyes, crossed his arms, LOOKED down in thought, thinking of how to explain his story.

"I had travelled to Egypt for an archaeological dig. A recent discovery about the Pharaoh's lost tomb led me there. We were digging near the Great Pyramids and soon there was a crater we had dug up that was about 10 feet in depth and 15 across. I remember doing the calculations on them when I was told to keep track.

"The sun was so hot in that desert that my canteen of water had soon run out. I was sitting in the sand trying to cool off so I didn't use too much of my energy when another archaeologist came up to me and offered me his own canteen of water. I guzzled it down but soon choked on the drink. My new friend simply found me enthusiastic. Professor Hawkins was a kind and brilliant man.

"In his field of archaeology, Arthur Hawkins was considered a radical thinker for his theories that Duel Monsters might have played some part in ancient Egyptian history. His studies of Egyptian hieroglyphics kept turning up one word in between its sentences, and that word was 'duel'."

Everyone stood on their spot in astonishment. I was standing there with my eyes widened in complete surprise. Had they actually found something relating to the ancient games? What had Mr. Mutou personally discovered? Was it-

My heart almost skipped a beat when I realized what I might be thinking.

_'The Shadow Games?_'

I swallowed the shallow lump in my throat and begged my voice to stay firm when I said, "So, you and Professor Hawkins, have you found proof or anything?'

Mr. Mutou pondered at the thought before replying. "Yes we did, actually.' he said. "Arthur had come to an astonishing conclusion in the tomb we were looking through.

"You see, one while Arthur and I were exploring in that ancient relic, we found an inscription on one of the columns of stone in the cave-like ruin. Professor Arthur translated it as the following:

"'By the spirits of the River Nile, I combine magic and monster to vanquish my enemy in our battle this day.'

He believed that ancient Egyptians participated in duels using Duel Monsters!"

My heart started to beat a little faster, not out of anxiety, but out of spite. I didn't understand why. I know its best if everyone finds out about the Shadow Games, and Duel Monsters being real, but, if it gets out of hand, they might be in danger.

I stole a glance toward Yugi. His eyes were widened in shock and they showed a lot of confusion. He wasn't going to take this in a light way. He was going to be hit hard with the fact of Yami's past. The fact that another total being is within him….I didn't know what he'll think.

Mr. Mutou continued his experience with Professor Hawkins:

"He took out his deck and showed me his Giant Soldier of Stone card, and compared it to a carving on the column. They were similar! He said that the ancient Egyptians must have played a similar game. I believed it to be an amazing discovery, and told Arthur that he'd revolutionize the field of Egyptology!

"But Arthur's colleagues ridiculed his theories. Even through these tough times, he refused to give up his studies, and invited me to work with him.

Eventually, he discovered a link between the game and the Millennium Items."

Yugi and I gasped; Yugi out of complete surprise and me, again, in complete spite.

"The Millennium Items?" Yugi asked incredulously, and I saw Mr. Mutou nod. "Like…my Millennium Puzzle?"

Grandpa nodded again, "Yes Yugi. We think that maybe your Millennium Puzzle is involved, that's why I was so dumbfounded by the find."

Absentmindedly, my hand reached for my Locket. Every time….when I hear 'Millennium Items', I always have to touch my Locket to see if it won't float off my skin. Maybe it was time to get a longer chain and let it hide under my shirt…

I stole another glance toward Yugi, but this time, he was regarding me with unease. I didn't really know what to do so I simply gave him a small nod before turning my attention back to Mr. Mutou. I saw the apprehension in his complexion…but I didn't want to explain anything just then. Better get everyone to start getting used to it.

"The Egyptians hadn't played the game for fun or money, Arthur said," Mr. Mutou went on. "But for the power to rule the world!

"The inscriptions told of a place called the Shadow Realm -here my heart leaped again- where terrible monsters dwell, and powerful warriors battled for dominion over Earth. The ancient Egyptians dueled in this realm, and the stakes were the fate of the Earth."

"Sounds pretty amazing." Tristan said in awe. Joey had his mouth partly open in awe too.

Tea asked, "So Professor Hawkins gave you the Blue-Eyes?"

"That's right." Mr. Mutou replied.

But Rebecca, who's been bored with the whole story, cries out in repetitive manner, "You're a liar! My grandfather would never have given away his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card!"

"This is no lie Rebecca." Mr. Mutou said with certainty in his voice. "Because if it was, there was no way I would be here telling you that as the next moment passed, there was a cave-in!"

Everyone breathed in an intense sharp breath each.

"Th-the tomb caved in?" Rebecca asked tentatively. I was just as shocked as she looked.

"Yes Rebecca. Arthur and I were trapped in the ruins. We lit our lanterns and waited for rescue, but no one came any time soon.

"Soon, we'd eaten all our food, and the only water we had left was for one person. It was then that Arthur suggested we'd play Duel Monsters to keep us occupied, and I had decided to put the remaining water on the line.

For Arthur's first move, he played Witch of the Black Forest-just as Rebecca had. It was your grandfather who taught you to duel, wasn't it Rebecca?"

The little blond girl just huffed and crossed her arms. Tea asked to go on with the story.

"I'm tired of listening!" Rebecca suddenly retorted. "I want to continue the duel!"

Joey clenched his fist and pointed accusingly into Rebecca's direction. "Oh yeah? Well some of us would rather hear the rest of the story!" But Mr. Mutou rose up a hand.

"No. It's fine, let the duel continue." We gave him a combined incredulous look.

So Yugi continues the paused duel by summoning Catapult Turtle in attack mode. He activates Brain Control to take control of Rebecca's Millennium Shield. Then he blasts the monster into the air, reducing it to rubble. And finally, to end his move, he attacks Canon Soldier with Summoned Skull, leaving Rebecca's life points at a relatively low number.

**LP: Yugi: 1100/Rebecca: 0200**

And of course, knowing Rebecca, even if it was only for an hour or so, she threw a tantrum and swore to defeat Yugi. She clutched her teddy bear a bit more.

Rebecca's next move took a while. She was actually gazing at her cards as if coming up with a scheme to run the world. Heh. Scary thought eh? (Author's Note: lol. I'M CANADIAN! XDDD Get it?…eh? -.- lol. If you get it, great. If you don't….don't worry 'bout it. XD)

After looking over her cards a couple of times and smiling to herself, Rebecca finally played her move. She played the magic card, Judgement Blaster, to destroy all the monsters on Yugi's side of the field. Then she summons her favourite monster; the Shadow Ghoul. It gained 100 attack points for every monster in her Graveyard!

"Uh…." Joey held up his hands with his fingers apart and rather feebly attempted to count eleven times 100 on them. "Let's see that's…100...200...300-"

"Eleven hundred!" Tea says with an anger mark on her head. I nudged Joey in the ribs and raised a brow.

"You're in High School….and you don't know what 11 times 100 is?"

Joey sheepishly shrugged and sweat dropped. I sighed. Nonetheless, Shadow Ghoul's attack points rose up to 2700.

"Rebecca!" Yugi said in shock. "You sacrificed all those monsters, just so you could power this one up?"

His opponent scowled. "Duel Monsters has nothing to do with respecting your cards! It's all about winning!"

Yugi shook his head. "That's not it at all. Each monster has their own abilities and you have to give them respect."

I saw out of the corner of my eye, Mr. Mutou giving Yugi a nod, which gave him one in turn.

Yugi plays a defence monster, but on her turn, Rebecca plays Stop Defence, which forces Yugi's Dark Magician into attack mode. She then attacks with Shadow Ghoul, making Yugi's life points drop this time.

**LP: Yugi: 0800/Rebecca: 0200**

"Yugi's getting creamed!" Tristan cried, holding his head in aggravation. I kept still, wondering what'll happen.

Next, Yugi played Swords of Revealing Light, which prolonged his thinking. Rebecca thought it irritating and passes her next turn. Then Yugi plays Monster reborn to revive his Dark Magician, and Rebecca responds by playing another Canon Soldier in defence.

Yugi knows Rebecca wants him to attack, but he can't leave Cannon Soldier on the field, so he destroys it with the Dark Magician, powering up her Shadow Ghoul by another 100 points. Rebecca passes again, knowing on her next turn, her Shadow Ghoul will be free to attack.

"Maybe…Rebecca is a genius?" Joey asks. I blinked.

"Yeah if you count throwing your monsters around like snow on a winter day ingenious…" I retorted. Joey sweat dropped. I, personally, was getting right down pissed by this girl's behaviour. Who was she to come from out of nowhere and just start accusing everyone?

One more pass later, Yugi draws his next card. He stares at it for quite a while that Rebecca started taunting him.

"Aw...didn't you get the card you needed?" she asked.

Yugi stares at his card….Then he puts the card back on his deck and lays his hand onto it, and surrenders.

Everyone's completely and utterly shocked! Yugi's given up! Why would he do it? My jaw had almost dropped to the floor in how much I had wrapped my mind into this duel. Now that Yugi surrendered…Rebecca was free to get her card.

So when she skipped off the platform cheering for her victory, nobody knew what was going to happen once Mr. Mutou showed her the card she was so willingly decided to accuse Yugi's grandpa of stealing.

Mr. Mutou reluctantly held up the Blue-Eyes card to eager child before him, only to have her gasp out in complete and disgusted shock.

"You tore it!" she cried. "You ruined my grandpa's favourite card!"

Mr. Mutou waved a hand in protest. "You must understand Rebecca," he pleaded. "It wasn't me-"

"Stop lying!" came one of her tantrums. I was just about to stop watching this and set one of my own angry remarks right back at her when a voice we've never heard before spoke.

"Rebecca, behave yourself." it came and everyone looked up from the distraught little girl to see an aged man with a kind face walk into the dueling arena area from a nearby exit.

"Grandpa?" Rebecca asked stunned. The man smiled kindly at Mr. Mutou and the rest of us.

"It's nice to meet you Solomon." he said. "It's been long."

Mr. Mutou smiled. "Far too long, Arthur." he said back. Then I realized with stupidity that this was Rebecca's grandfather.

"I hope my audacious granddaughter hasn't caused you much grief." Professor Hawkins said as he walked alongside the railing toward Yugi, who stood on his side still stunned at what just happened.

"Rebecca, did you know that Yugi was the winner of the duel?" he asked his granddaughter as she made her way behind her grandfather with us trailing behind.

"But grandpa!" Rebecca whined. "I won!"

Professor Hawkins took that into slight consideration. Then he reached for the top card on Yugi's deck and smiled to himself. He bent down to Rebecca's height and asked, "Rebecca, do you know what this card is?"

The little girl looked at it in confusion.

"It's called Soul Release." he explained. "With this card Yugi would have been able to remove up to five cards in either Graveyard; yours or his own. Do you know what that means? He could have reduced your Shadow Ghoul's attack points to the vulnerability of Yugi's Dark Magician."

Rebecca stared at the card at a loss for words. I looked to where Yugi stood and saw him blushing the slightest bit out of embarrassment.

"But…why did he surrender then?" Rebecca asked in dismay to finding out that she was technically the loser of the duel, but also confused as to why Yugi surrendered.

"He surrendered to show you that there's more to winning and losing." Professor Hawkins continued explaining. "That the way to the heart of the cards, is through your own heart.

"During that tomb's collapse, I had become weak from the heat. Solomon sacrificed his victory to help save me. He surrendered in order to give me the water.

"What's more is that even though I sacrificed my monsters to power up the Shadow Ghoul, I never forgot to honour them for their sacrifice. Even more than the monsters, a duelist must also honour and respect his opponent. And because of that grateful help from Solomon, I gave him by Blue-Eyes."

Rebecca decided to say again, "But he ripped it up! That's how he showed his own gratitude!"

Mr. Mutou held up the card. "Forgive me Arthur." he said. "It was damaged."

Professor Hawkins shook his head, "It doesn't matter Arthur. What matters is that you cherished the card because it was a symbol of our friendship. And duels can be the basis for them."

Rebecca turned on her heels gave a saddened look. "Oh Yugi, I'm so sorry!"

Yugi smiled. "It's ok Rebecca." he said.

Rebecca gave a smile of relief. "You mean you forgive me?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. In fact," he rummaged through his pockets and took out a Duel Monster's card. I realized it was the one Pegasus gave to him at Duelist Kingdom. (**Author's Note:** I'm sorry I didn't add that scene. :() He handed it to Rebecca. "Take this."

Rebecca held the card and looked it over. "'The Ties of Friendship?'" she said.

Yugi nodded and before he knew it, he was glomped by a thrilled Rebecca.

I smiled. So maybe everything worked out, but it still felt as though Rebecca wasn't about to forgive herself for her behaviour today. I think she'll be able to make better decisions when she's older; as she refers to this.

"Solomon?" Professor Hawkins called. "I think it's been a while since we've dueled."

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Mr. Mutou smiled cockily. Joey grinned.

"Alright!" he cried making an action pose. "Dueling grandpas! This I gotta see!"

I scoffed. "Yeah…you could use a few pointers." I blinked at what I just said.

"…you'd better run."

"Yeah…I kinda figured…" So that concludes the day's events; Rebecca apologizes for her ruthless behaviour and Joey tried running me over like a bulldozer.

…Holy crap…

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**Author's Note:** Hope you liked that part! I know Rebecca's annoying, but I wanted to add her scenario in before going on to anything else. Same with Kaiba's Virtual Gaming World (which is next. XD)and the Duke Devlin scenario. I really hope I can get them done. Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading! :)


	26. Unsuspected Visitor

**Author's Note: **Ok then, this is the beginning of Kaiba's Virtual Gaming World. The one where when Kaiba and Mokuba come back from Duelist Kingdom and Kaiba starts telling the Big 5 people that they're in trouble, but they think otherwise. You know what it is. They side track him. Bad. Lol. Hope you like it!

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

I'm also going to let you know that SCHOOL'S OVER! YEAH BABY! lol. Grade 10? Here I come! lol. But that's not until two months from now. I had four exams in two days and my mind was spinning. I came home saying I had studying to do, I was that unsure school was over. xD Funny huh? lol. But now I've got summer and I'm going to be updating as much as possible. ^^ Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten, oh and favourites and alerts too. Special thanks to whoever reads my fanfics. You are amazing. ^^ Even if you didn't leave a review, it's all cool. Just knowing people read my fanfic is the best. Thanks everyone! :) Enjoy the summer! ^^ Oh and the fic too. ^/^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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****Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Wrong Chapter 25**

'Well…Rebecca Hawkins is an interesting character.' I implied as I was lying on my back on my bed with my deck in hand. I was looking through its contents, trying to remember them being alive 5,000 years ago.

After the whole Rebecca conspiracy, I was now at home, finally a bit of peace surrounded me. And I breathed it in.

I was just at my favourite card, Sword of Deception, and admiring it's beauty, when the phone on my bedside table began to ring. I precariously placed my deck onto the other side of my bed, letting them loose for a bit after that tight packaging in my thigh sheathe, and reached for the phone.

I held it up to my ear and said, "Hello, Wind residence."

"Hey Sarah." came the voice. "It's me Yugi."

My eyes widened a bit in surprise. No one usually called me. But I smiled all the while, happy to hear his voice.

"Oh hi Yugi!" I said happily into the other line. "How are you?"

"Fine thanks." he said. "You?"

"Oh I'm pretty good." I replied, leaning my back against my wooden headboard.

"That's good." he said.

I felt some tension in his voice and asked with concern in my own, "Yugi is something wrong?"

There was a moment when he didn't say anything. "No. I was…actually wondering if you wanted to hang out? At my house?"

When he said that, my mind was still a bit uneasy, but I reluctantly smiled. "That'd be cool!" I said. "I'll see you in a few, alright?"

The tension almost disappeared.

"Really? Cool. I'll see you then!" With that said, the both of us hung up. A small pull at the back of my mind told me not to forget about it. Was something bothering Yugi? If so, what? I didn't even think about dropping the curiosity and concern from my eyes.

Grabbing my thigh sheathe and strapping it on, I slipped my tousled deck, after straightening it out of course, into it and took my coat off the rack by the door. As soon as I stepped out of the doorway, I was pelted with rain. Cursing mildly for the bad weather, I clumsily locked the door behind me and headed out to the water ridden streets.

Walking down them, I noticed all the houses looking a bit grey under the grim sky. Silver clouds overhead threw down drops of crystal rain as I quickly picked up the pace.

I turned a corner and suddenly wondered if I was going the right way. I didn't go to Yugi's house from my own before. It was always I'd go after school or with the gang. I didn't think I was even going down the right street, until I saw the Game Shop coming up to my right. I couldn't miss that for sure.

Walking right up to the door, I knocked with the side of my hand and waited. My coat was now more soaked than when it was the corner before. I shuffled my feet trying to get some of the rain off. Maybe it was time to buy an umbrella…..

Oh right, I guess I should tell you how I can actually PAY for everything. You see, when I was younger, and my parents were still around, they kept a large sum of money under my name. They said it was for my future and I was ever so thankful. They helped me so much. After they passed, Ishizu had given me the money after taking care of it this whole time.

Ishizu is the reincarnation of Isis; the woman who raised me after my parents' death. She was a close family friend and was up until they died. She began raising me as her own child. Isis was the one to keep the money that they gave me, safe. She was also the one who thought I was guardian material. She hid the money for her reincarnation, that way, when I awoke, she would be able to give the money to me.

I never regretted going to that magic's school. I actually thought it was the best thing that ever happened to me. My parents gave me the money for my future, and now I'm using it for the same reason. I paid for my tuition for the high school, the apartment complex, and the plane tickets to get here. I owed them my life for helping me with everything. My parents, Isis, and Ishizu.

I gave a silent prayer to the Gods to keep them safe. I also prayed them a thanks too, since they were the ones to preserve my body.

The door suddenly opened and out appeared Mr. Mutou. He smiled when he saw me.

"Hi Mr. Mutou." I said, urging my teeth not to start chattering.

"Hello Sarah." he said kindly, although I knew he was being oblivious to the fact of the rain showering all over the place. "Nice to see you in this fine, fine-excuse me-this fine, stormy day. Come inside child! You'll catch a cold!" And with that said, I was being pulled into the Mutou home, faster than you can say, "huh?".

He pulled me toward the coat rack and swiftly took off my coat and hung it onto it, all the while excusing me from saying thank you. He then walked to the bottom of the stairs and shouted up, "Yugi? Sarah's here! Ahem, or should I say your-"

"Thanks grandpa!" came a shout, along with the thudding of someone's feet. Yugi suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs looking flushed, either from the running or from the sentence Mr. Mutou didn't get to finish.

"Hey Sarah." he said, casting his grandfather a playful glare before turning toward me.

"Hey Yugi." I smiled. He took my hand and led me over to the living room before I could ask anyone what all of that was about. I guess somethings were left a mystery.

I plopped myself onto one side of the loveseat couch and carefully looked around. The place was empty, I was the only one there along with Yugi. I was expecting the rest of the gang to be here too.

"Er…I'm sorry." I said sheepishly. "Did I come early?"

Yugi blinked at me in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

I gestured around the rest of the room. "I mean, wasn't everyone else supposed to come too?"

Yugi still blinked. I sighed.

"You know…" I sweat dropped. Then rose a hand to show height. "A guys this tall whose blond, both hair wise and mind wise. And two brunettes?…People you call your friends…?"

The gears in Yugi's mind began to roll again. "Oh! You mean Joey, Tristan, and Tea!" He blushed a little in embarrassment.

I squinted my eyes at him. "Yes…those guys." I said.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, still blushing. "R-right…um…they couldn't make it." he said.

I pondered on it for a few more seconds, before giving up to what this boy wanted. Then I patted the seat next to me for him to join me. Hesitantly, he complied and sat down.

"Alright then…" I said a little unsteadily. It was…awkward just hanging out with a guy….without the gang…you know… "What's up?" I asked.

Yugi shifted a bit uncomfortably before actually speaking. "Well….the reason I called you here is because…" I watched him bite his lower lip nervously.

"Yugi?" I asked concerned. This was almost like the phone call. "Is something the matter?"

Yugi's eyes fell to a spot on the ground. He twisted his hands in his lap as he thought of what he was going to say and how he was going to say it.

"Well…" he finally said. "It's actually about what you said back at Duelist Kingdom."

All was silent. The only thing making any noise at all was the rain outside. It hit the windows, making them seem to rattle.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Of course Yugi would want to know the whole story, and what I meant when I said, 'I'm his Guardian.'. He was utterly confused but he accepted it. Now was probably the time to tell him all; everything.

But…am I ready to? At first, I realized, I was eager to tell him who I was, Thinking it would help him get by this confusion but now….what would he actually think of me? Like some superior? I remember when I first got the title, my classmates teased me. Saying that I was next to the Pharaoh. It made me embarrassed. Now I'm just being paranoid.

"Listen, Yugi." I started. He looked up from the ground and looked me straight in the eye. "I know that that was a very weird and difficult thing to say, but, it's true. I'm the Guardian, the protector of sorts, of the spirit in your puzzle."

I let it sink into him. He took it patiently, which I thanked.

"So…there IS a spirit…right?" he asked a little hopefully. I shot him a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah…you have one inside you." I said, although it was all a dream to me too.

"Wow…" he said simply. I couldn't help but laugh.

"See, when you said you were going 'demented' at Duelist Kingdom," I explained, and here Yugi gave me a playful nudge, "I figured that maybe you realized about the other presence. Now that you have, the prophecy can continue."

Here, Yugi gave me another confused look. I sighed.

"Right…the prophecy…." I didn't want to talk about it just yet, to tell you the truth. I actually wanted the three of us, meaning Yugi, Yami, and me, to get to know each other before throwing it into their direction. I didn't want to tell Yugi something so big this early…

As if on cue, the Gods heard my silent plea. The door to the Game Shop swung open and the ring of the bell notified us that someone had come in. Then a familiar Brooklyne accent began ringing throughout the house.

Yugi sighed impatiently he but didn't show it in his weak smile. "I guess we should go see what's up…."

I nodded. "I'm sorry Yugi." I said apologetically. And I meant it. The poor guy was stuck in a tough spot. "I promise we'll talk about this later. When the time is right."

The other teen simply nodded his head before standing up. He held out a hand with a small smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. "We should go see what Joey's doing here." he said.

I laughed silently as I put my hand over his own. Then he dragged me through the doorway with a smile on. "Hey guys." he said happily, as if totally forgetting the fact that we were almost about to start talking on a very serious subject just moments before.

I smiled a little nervously and waved. "Hey." I merely said.

The blond haired boy turned to face us with a grin on his face. "Hey you two." Then his eyes turned to confusion. "Er…why are you two holding…hands?"

The both of us merely blinked. Then our eyes fell onto our hands which were still locked together…..and then we cried out and quickly pulled our hands back to our sides. Everyone else seemed to think it was so funny that they should start laughing.

I growled, making everyone stop. "I have a present for you Joey…." I said suddenly smirking.

Said boy gulped and hastily took a step back. I dug through my thigh sheathe and took out a Duel Monster's card. I had this for a while and couldn't really fit it into my deck anywhere, but then I realized that maybe Joey would be able to find a use for it.

"Think fast!" I suddenly said as I thrust the card toward Joey, letting it slip between my fingers. The blond thought fast and he caught it no problem. When he looked at the card, he blinked.

"What's this for?" he asked.

I folded my arms across my chest and smiled. "It's called Lucky Strike." I said. "You can activate this card when your opponent attacks. You choose a card from your hand and tell your opponent to guess if it's either a monster, a magic, or a trap card. If they're right, their attack keeps going, but if they're wrong, you get one more turn."

Joey looked the card over. Then said, "What's the occasion?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's for helping me at Duelist Kingdom." I said quietly.

"Aw Sarah!" he cried holding the card out in front of me. "That's what friends do! You don't have to give me this…"

"Ditto." I smirked. He blinked but then sighed in defeat. I got him.

"Ah…thanks man." he said giving me a one armed hug. Then he put the card on the counter in front of Mr. Mutou. "Put this on my tab please." he said.

Mr. Mutou shook his head. "Sorry Joseph, but your tab is over due."

Joey shrugged. "Then put it on Tristan's." The brunette whirled around to raise a fist into Joey's face. "Hey!"

I groaned impatiently. Then I strode over to where the blond stood and snatched the card from the counter. I swiftly put it into his back pocket and stepped back. "It's a gift Joey!" I said. "Take it."

He thought for a moment before sighing. "Alright." he said. "Thanks."

I gave him a slight nod before turning to Yugi with a smirk on my face. "I'll give your present later, ok?" Yugi immediately turned red, but the whole group understood my little joke and began laughing.

Suddenly the door to the Game Shop opened again, but this time, instead of a bustling group of friends, it was a small boy who was soaking wet from head to toe and looking exhausted.

Mokuba Kaiba.

"Please…" he pleaded. "You've got to help me…" He was leaning against the doorframe, looking about ready to just fall to the ground.

"Mokuba!" I gasped and ran for his almost collapsing body. What was he doing here?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you! Hope you liked this part! Reviews are appreciated! If you haven't already done so, read the first bit of **REMINDERS** at the top of my fic. It'll just tell you the time period I'll be gone for. :) Thanks again for reading! ^^


	27. Entering the Virtual World

**Author's Note: **I'M BACK! Lol. Exaggeration…. XD Hope you like this part! :) Ohh and uh….the title in the last chapter didn't feel like sticking in the middle of the intro. Sorry 'bout that. xD

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

I'm also going to let you know that SCHOOL'S OVER! YEAH BABY! lol. Grade 10? Here I come! lol. But that's not until two months from now. I had four exams in two days and my mind was spinning. I came home saying I had studying to do, I was that unsure school was over. xD Funny huh? lol. But now I've got summer and I'm going to be updating as much as possible. ^^ Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten, oh and favourites and alerts too. Special thanks to whoever reads my fanfics. You are amazing. ^^ Even if you didn't leave a review, it's all cool. Just knowing people read my fanfic is the best. Thanks everyone! :) Enjoy the summer! ^^ Oh and the fic too. ^/^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 26**

[ Ugh! Baka won't center the title. x/ ]

I couldn't understand the reason Mokuba had run all the way from the Kaiba Corp. Building to here. And in this demented weather, too. The boy was shivering uncontrollably! Why….?

"Mokuba!" I cried as I just barely caught his collapsing form. Ordering from over my shoulder, I said, "He's freezing! We have to get him warm!" Yugi nodded and ran up the stairs while Mr. Mutou left for the kitchen. The rest of the gang helped me bring the young Kaiba into the living room.

Setting him down on the longer sofa, Yugi appeared from out of the doorway holding a few blankets while Mr. Mutou came in after him holding a steaming cup of something hot. Yugi gave me the blankets and I quickly put them around the little boy's soaking back. Mr. Mutou handed him the cocoa. Tea sat down beside me and Mokuba, Yugi was seated on the coffee table in front of the both of us, Joey and Tristan sat down on the arms of the single seat, and Mr. Mutou stood near us all.

"Holy crap…" I whispered in shock, "You gave us a scare. What happened?"

Mokuba only shivered slightly; I didn't really know if it was from what happened or from the cold. Maybe both.

"I-it's my brother…" he said finally. A pinch of something sharp seemed to dig into my heart when he said this. "I need your help in getting him back."

"And where exactly did he go?" Joey scoffed. Tea shot him a glare to shut-up.

Mokuba stared down at the mug in his hands. "We were just coming back up the Kaiba Corp. building," he started, "to face the people who planned my kidnapping. Our board members were the ones to call an alliance with Pegasus in order to get us captured. When my brother found that out, he set out to fire them. He was just about to say those magic words when….those creeps brought up the subject of his latest game."

I blinked. "Latest game…? I asked.

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah. I remember watching him work endless nights in it; making sure everything was perfect. When the board said that the prototypes were ready, my brother forgot about firing them. He went to go see how the production went. But those creeps weren't done. They reprogrammed the system so they could trap Seto inside. We have to help him!"

I placed a soothing arm around the young boy's shoulders. "Don't worry Mokuba." I said softly, yet confidently; yet that stupid poke in my heart wasn't leaving me alone. "We'll get him back."

"Yeah." Joey said getting up from the seat he was sitting on alongside Tristan. His expression was emotionless but I knew he was forcing the words out of his mouth. "As much as I'd love to see your brother behind bars, let's go get him."

Yugi nodded. "I'm in too." he said. Then he smiled reassuringly toward Mokuba. "You can count on us, right guys?"

I smiled and stood up to my feet too, holding a fist to my side. "That's right! Let's go right now!"

Tea stood up next. "Lead the way Mokuba." she said. The younger Kaiba's face dramatically changed into a grateful smile.

"Thanks guys." he said.

The six of us hung around the doorway to the Game Shop, getting our umbrellas ready for opening so we could run through the mushy streets. Oh wait…haha….I don't have an umbrella. ^^'

Yugi cast me a look. I shrugged.

"Ah don't worry." I said smiling innocently. "My coat's good."

He didn't look too sure, but he reluctantly nodded and stepped outside into the groggy looking day. I pulled my coat off from the rack, FINALLY said thank you to Mr. Mutou for earlier and everything he did for Mokuba, and ran out behind the gang. The elder shouted to be careful after our running bodies.

Mokuba led us down a couple streets, until he stopped in front of a set of huge, iron gates. Behind them, stood the tall and flashy looking building of the Kaibas.

Handing his umbrella to Tea, he climbed up and over the top of the gates. Jumping onto his feet on the other side, he quickly unlocked the door for the rest of us.

Next, the young boy led us from the front of the building to the perimeter around it. We followed the edge until stopping in front of a couple of small dome looking buildings.

"These are his labs." Mokuba stated, clearing everyone's mind. We ran in through the open garage-like door and under a length of rope with a sign saying 'DO NOT ENTER'. The younger Kaiba stopped in front of a steel door and, swiping his card through the security box thingy (xD), stepped in. Everyone followed suit.

We all looked around the room in awe. Four pieces of machinery that looked to be like pods sat smack in the middle of the room. A computer system that probably controlled the pods was placed on the right.

"These are the prototypes." Mokuba said coming up to one of the pods. "They're all part of the virtual world my brother's been working on."

I held my chin in my hand in a small bit of confusion. I looked around the room and then back to the pods in front of us all. There were six of us, and four pods; two of us will have to stay behind.

"I'm going in for sure." Mokuba stated clearly, as if reading my thoughts. I cast a nervous glance around again. I didn't think everyone else would want to stay behind…

"But you're the one who knows how to work the computer." Tristan protested. Tea looked at them uneasily.

"Yeah, but I also know my way around the game! I have to go!" Mokuba said back with just as much force. Joey sighed.

"Yugi's going for sure…" he configured. Then his eyes fell onto me. "I'm not leaving my buddy."

I wanted to protest. "But I have to go too! I can't stay behind knowing Yugi's in your hands!"

Joey glared a bit at me but I shot him a pleading look.

"Hey wait a minute." Mokuba said suddenly, and all eyes turned toward him. "There's one more pod in the room my brother's in, but to get to it, you'll have to climb through the vents…"

After hearing, 'You'll', I immediately hugged the little guy to bits.

"Thanks Mokuba!" I said letting him go. "I just…don't want to leave you guys to go in alone…"

Joey gave me an apologetic look. I smiled and shook my head.

"Well….the vents are up there." Mokuba said pointing toward the wall beside the computer. Halfway up, there was a white air ventilation doorway. "My brother's room is five shafts ahead. Best of luck."

"Thanks again." I said. Turning to the rest of the gang, I said, "I'll meet you guys in. See ya." After that said, I jumped onto a crate and hung onto the shaft's door. Opening it fully, I gave everyone a salute before crawling in. Everyone shouted good luck back to me.

As I was crawling through the cold and clean ventilation shaft, I counted the vents out to the number Mokuba said. After counting up five, I pushed open the designated shaft and hopped out from it. I landed on the ground with my legs outstretched and like a cat's. I looked around the room and observed two pods, like Mokuba said, sitting in the middle of the room with the computer system off to the side. I strode over to the font pod and looked into it. My eyes stung from what I saw.

Kaiba was out cold, with his face slightly to one side and his body limp. I rose a steady hand toward his face and held his cheek for a couple seconds. His skin felt cold.

"Oh Kaiba…." I said softly as I began gritting my teeth. "Those goons are going to pay…"

I brushed my fingers across his sleek face once more before slowly turning toward the other pod. I carefully sat into it and leaned back on the seat. I looked around it for a switch. Do I have to use the computer to turn this on?

But then I saw the dull red button attached under the drive recogniser, probably where I insert my deck. I did just that, after taking it out of my thigh sheath, and pressed the button. It turned a bright, glowing red and the pod's door began closing.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I felt a visor lodge itself in front of me and then next…what I saw was totally indescribable.

It was like I was flying, or floating in the middle of a great pool of black and white swirls of light. This must be the separation sequence.

After, the light began getting brighter, until I had to shield my eyes with my arms. When all turned still, I reopened my eyes; I didn't even know I had closed them.

"Woah…" I said in awe. I was in what looked to be a gigantic forest. Everywhere I looked I saw only trees, but I saw some pathways in between.

I brought my hands up to see them. They looked real. I felt my right hand with my left and it WAS real.

"Holy…." I said, not believing. Kaiba had actually designed a game in which you could separate your mind from your body, and still function properly.

"Sarah!" someone called. I quickly turned on my heel and saw Yugi, Mokuba, and Joey running this way.

"Glad you guys could make it." I said nonchalantly, placing my hands on my hips.

Joey waved his hand. "You made it out ok?"

I gave the boy a nod and then added a pinch to his side for good measure. "Yep." I smirked.

"Hey!" Joey yelped, grasping his sides. "No touchie…."

"What ever you say Joey." I said, smirking again.

Yugi shook his head at the both of us and then turned to Mokuba. "So where do we go now?" he asked.

Mokuba glanced from one path to the other. There were two that seemed to be the only walking kind of paths. Mokuba pointed to the left. "This way would lead us somewhere."

I nodded my head and began walking with the rest of the group toward the designated area. "If you're sure Mokuba." I said.

We came across trees and more trees, until there was a cliff staring us down. Literally, it was down. After the cliff was a valley that stretched out for a while. I gulped nervously and bent down at the edge of the rocky mass to see what was down there. My blood ran cold.

"Is that a….graveyard of some sort?" I asked, my voice cracking with shakiness.

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah. We'll have to go through it to get to my brother. Come on." He began descending down the ledge, the rest of the group, solemnly following.

It looked like any other graveyard or cemetery, but the misty air seemed eerie. I held my shoulders with my hands and kept close to everyone else.

**

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**

Author's Note:

Well…heh. This is the second chapter to Legendary Heroes. Hope you liked it! Reviews are appreciated! Oh and if you haven't already, read the reminders at the top, just in case. ^^ Thanks. :) 


	28. Damn Bite

**Author's Note: **I'M BACK! Lol. Exaggeration…. XD Hope you like this part! :) Ohh and uh….the title in the last chapter didn't feel like sticking in the middle of the intro. Sorry 'bout that. xD

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

I'm also going to let you know that SCHOOL'S OVER! YEAH BABY! lol. Grade 10? Here I come! lol. But that's not until two months from now. I had four exams in two days and my mind was spinning. I came home saying I had studying to do, I was that unsure school was over. xD Funny huh? lol. But now I've got summer and I'm going to be updating as much as possible. ^^ Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten, oh and favourites and alerts too. Special thanks to whoever reads my fanfics. You are amazing. ^^ Even if you didn't leave a review, it's all cool. Just knowing people read my fanfic is the best. Thanks everyone! :) Enjoy the summer! ^^ Oh and the fic too. ^/^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

* * *

**Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 27**

"This is one freaky lookin' graveyard…" Joey muttered as he walked by my side. Yugi and Mokuba were to my left.

The cemetery we just walked to had a horrid look to it. The soil looked to be rotten and the tombstones for the dead leaned in random directions. There was a mist lingering around the place giving it almost a sinister feel.

For a virtual world, it looked real.

"I'm scared…." I squeaked pathetically. I glanced around at the scary sight, only to have a shiver go up and down my spine. Joey chuckled a full-hearted laugh and sympathetically patted my back.

"And I thought you were this warrior from Duelist Kingdom! Yeah right!" he said, fully amusing himself of the fact of me being so scared out of my wits.

I sighed incoherently and shot a playful glare toward the blond.

Suddenly the ground began to shake. The tombstones didn't seem to be affected but the ruddy ground cracked underneath our feet. Before we had time to yell 'What's going on?', something started coming up from out of one of the burials. It looked like an outstretched hand.

I couldn't react fast enough. It quickly grasped my ankle and pulled me to the ground. I fell forward, landing on my caught-leg's knee. I swore I heard a snap.

I let out a scream in surprise and tried kicking out of the death grip. Soon the whole body of a knight, well what used to be one anyway, came out from underground, still holding onto my leg. I hit my shoulders as he rose to his full height and carried me almost off the ground. I tried ripping his fingers off but they were too tight.

"Y-you guys!" I cried out desperately. "I…I can't get it off!" The blood began rushing to my head, and it got uncomfortably stuffy up there, oh wait, DOWN there…..I dunno it was in the head! xD

"Gotta think of something fast!" Joey muttered looking around the tombstones for something to use. Then he got a wicked idea.

"Alright." he pulled a card from his deck and held it up. "Flame Swordsman! Help us out!"

As he wished, Joey's monster came right out of the card and onto the ground in front of him. The Flame Swordsman held up his flaming red sword and swung it swiftly through the arm of the zombie holding me up. I landed on the ground with a thump and groan. I looked up from the mess to see the rotting material of the zombie on the floor next to me. (**Author's Note**: Yeah….I know in the anime, they dissolve but here, I'mma make it gruesome. XD When they are completely defeated is when they will materialize.) I covered my mouth from throwing up.

"Good idea Joey!" Mokuba said over his shoulder. He drew a card from his deck, Rude Kaiser, and held it up, shouting its name. It appeared onto the field next to him. Yugi did the same and summoned his Dark Magician.

I pulled myself up from my feet and hopped over to the guys. I touched Joey's back lightly. "Thanks man." I said panting hard. He looked to me and nodded.

I sat behind the boys to give a look at my knee and ankle. My boy shorts became a bit tattered, but my body parts were fine. I looked back up to find three zombies staring Yugi, Mokuba, and Joey down. They attacked together and everything fell into a pile of muck.

"Yeah!" I cheered, raising my arms up. "You guys got 'em!"

But then the bits and pieces of the former zombies began piling onto one another, and there stood them again, with their attack points higher than before. Something clicked in the back of my mind. _Where have I seen this before?_

The knight that was holding me trusted his sword into Joey's Flame Swordsman, shattering it. Joey's life points went down.

"Damn!" he swore. "How do we beat these guys?" he asked looking around.

I held my chin in my hand for a minute. Then I snapped my fingers in sudden realization.

"I know how we can beat them!" I heard my voice echo, but it was actually Yugi who had said the same thing at the same time. He obviously remembered the same thing that I did. He smiled slightly and I nodded.

"Right, you've dealt with these guys before, haven't you Joey?" I asked, a small smirk in the edge of my lips. Joey gave me a look.

"I have?" he blinked.

Yugi nodded. "Yes and you beat them too." he said. "But you used a special card to do it. Do you remember which one, Joey?"

The blond thought for a quick moment before looking through his deck. "Oh yeah!" he said finally understanding what we were going at. "Shield and Sword!"

The card activated. All the monsters that were out began shivering, their holograms looked glitchy for a second before turning back to normal. The only difference; their attack and defence points switched.

"Now I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!" Joey declared, bringing up the monster. He held his very shiny and sharp sword by his side. "Attack the zombies!"

Gearfried didn't take any time swinging his sword through the vulnerable beasts. They fell back down to the ground but this time, they actually materialized into nothingness. We waited a few seconds before knowing for sure that the zombies won't come back.

"Good job, Joey." I commented to the blond, throwing a wink at Yugi though, the boy sheepishly smiled.

"Aw, it was nothing." he smiled. I smiled back for fun. XD

"Hey…." Mokuba bent down to pick something up, it looked like a Duel Monster's card. There were some more scattered around the joint. I hopped back up onto my feet and picked one up carefully, looking it over.

"What could these be?" I asked looking up to see if anyone knew the answer. Yugi shrugged, also holding one.

"Some kind of scoring system?" he said tentatively. I shrugged and pocketed the card even so.

From the corner of my hearing, I thought I heard a flutter and chirp. I spun my head around to see where the noise had come from. It seemed everyone else had noticed it too.

"Did you guys hear that?" Joey mumbled, taking a hasty step back. I nodded.

Then it came about again, this time adding a twinkling sound, like Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. It sounded like it was coming from one of the tombstones. So I crept a bit closer….

Then there was a bright glow. A small figure with wings and a staff appeared above the stone. It hovered in mid air.

"Hey," Joey said pointing to the fairy and grinning like a fool. "I bet its one of them fairies that they put in games to help the players out!"

I took a closer look. The little pixie didn't look to be harmful. It had a happy expression on its face.

The fairy caused a few more tinkling sounds before heading off in an unknown direction; well, unknown to us.

"Should we follow?" Mokuba asked, staring after the little dot of light.

I shrugged and nodded. "It's the best lead we've got." I said. The group nodded back, saying that I had a point. Soon after, we began running after the fairy. It seemed to lead us through winding dirt paths, they weren't as grimy as the graveyard's anymore. The next moment we looked up from the path, the fairy disappeared; not even leaving a trail of pixie dust anywhere.

"Now what?" Mokuba asked looking around in hopes of maybe spotting the fairy among the bushes.

I scratched my head and gave the boy a small shrug. "Sorry Mokuba." I said. "I've got no more ideas. Yugi?"

Called boy simply pointed ahead of him. We all turned our attention to his direction. "There's a town." he said.

Indeed, right below the cliff we found a little ways father from where we were standing, was a small little desert town; with a field of what seemed to be endless sand sitting at one end of it all.

"We should ask if anyone's seen Kaiba anywhere." Yugi said, his eyes brightening from the idea. I nodded encouragingly at him.

"That's an excellent plan." I said, suddenly being formal. I guess whenever I see desert I think of Egypt and when I think of Egypt, I remember what my life used to be. I was never out-going like I am now; because of being the Pharaoh's Guardian, my life went formal.

Everyone gave me a funny look, like they thought I just said the sky was falling.

I blinked curiously. "What?" I asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

Joey lingered on the thought for a moment before waving it away with a hand of dismissal. He and Mokuba turned to head down the cliff while Yugi looked over his shoulder to give me a concerned look. I bit my lip and looked down.

_Right…if he knew….he'd understand… _But I couldn't think of all of it now. Kaiba had to be saved at the moment, and me standing here like a fool doesn't help.

I took a steady, silent breath from my mouth and exhaled it through my nose. Then I gave Yugi a thumbs up and we both descended down the steep cliff side.

* * *

We were walking down one of the dusty streets, watching the life of everyone in the town. Townsfolk were selling merchandise while little kids ran around playing tag. I sighed a little quietly at the memory of me when I was younger.

The group had halted at one of the many stands and booths lined up on the road. Joey was the one who stopped first and, looking toward the stand, I could see why.

"Hey they're Duel Monster cards!" he cried. I blinked.

"Maybe there's a card to help us." he said looking each card through their respective glass coverings. They looked like rare cards.

I rolled my eyes and pointed to what was bugging me about the cards. I knew this would have been easy if it were the other way around…

"What?" Joey cried, holding his head in his hands in aggravation. "That card alone is worth 2,000 points! But we've gotta have something around that for beating those zombies!"

He rummaged around the inside of his pockets, bringing out the card he picked up from earlier. I almost saw his heart sinking.

"This isn't even close…" he groaned hanging his head. I meekly patted his back while Yugi and Mokuba just shook their heads. Mokuba muttered something bout getting a move on to find his brother.

"Don't worry Joey." I said, trying to get him to stop his pretend waterfall of tears. "Maybe if we ask these people in town for any sign of a male with brunette hair and piercing blue eyes, they could lead us straight to Kaiba." Again….everyone started at me like I was the grade-A nutcase now….

"Why are you talking like that?" Mokuba asked raising a brow. I hesitated.

"Wh-what do you mean?" My voice couldn't get any more annoying…now it was beginning to get a little deeper and formal.

Mokuba looked at me pointedly. I felt sooo guilty as to why I'm not telling anyone! But it just….didn't feel like the right time to tell anyone ANYTHING about me! I told Yugi about me being the Guardian of the spirit in his Millennium Puzzle, but I had to tell him that….he'd finally learned to connect with him…..at least a little bit anyway….

I sheepishly rubbed at the back of my neck. Then I took out a photograph from my back pocket. It was tattered a bit around the edges, but I never EVER left home without it. Ever.

I held it up for everyone to see and pointed to the male on the right side of the picture. "My parents had always told me to talk formally with others...so whenever I'm around a desert of some kind, which used to be where I lived for a while, I always find myself talking with utmost formality and my voice turns a lot more….different." Hopefully they would understand that. .

Yugi and Joey's face immediately saddened when I had shown them the picture. It was the exact same one from Duelist Kingdom; the first time I showed them was in the cave leaving the Paradox brothers.

(**Author's Note: **If you want to see the picture, I have now put the link up in my profile. Just click on the active link, that depends if it actually works, and hopefully the picture will open in a new window. I'm sorry, but I'm just learning about HTML and I couldn't get it done right if all you can see is a long, unhighlighted URL. Heh. Sorry, but please check it out. It'll help you in understanding everything to do with the photo in this whole fan fic. ^^ Thanks. :])

I gave them a small smile. "Don't feel guilty you two…" I said. "It was either telling you or the three of you thinking I was poisoned." Joey and Yugi couldn't help but laugh.

Mokuba blinked but shrugged it off, thinking it was one of those 'teen jokes' xD. "How about we split up to work on Sarah's plan, about asking everyone in this town about my brother?"

The three of us nodded in agreement.

"Let's meet back at the fountain in one hour." I said pointing to a large monument in the middle of the town square. It seemed to be the only white in the city, everything else looked to be made of sand.

"Alright." Yugi nodded and we four went our separate ways.

* * *

I had gotten myself into an alley. How, I don't know. I was just following a path of people when suddenly, I ended up here. It didn't look dangerous, yet it didn't look inviting either. I didn't see anyone around, but I got the intention that maybe I was close to the end of the alley.

Then a small hissing sound cut through the air. I stopped dead in my tracks and held my breath. In front of me was a two foot cobra, who decided to stare at me instead of the bones of a used-to-be-mouse. It was probably still hungry.

I swallowed a lump that clogged my throat and tried not to hyperventilate. The first thing I learned about snakes and Egypt, was to NOT ALARM THEM.

So I tried to back out of that alley as quietly as I can. I thought that maybe when I'm out, I'd book it out of there and straight toward the fountain. I was deathly afraid of it, if it was poisonous, then that'd be even worse.

But destiny obviously wanted the snake to move, because at that silent moment, a rock stopped me. My heel hit the side of the football sized granite and I was sent to the ground. The snake hissed out loud before launching its fangs at me. My first instinct was to throw my arms in front of my face so it wouldn't get my eyes or mouth. I felt its teeth come intact with the skin of my arm and I let out a short yell.

The snake, after sinking it's teeth, had quickly slithered away, leaving me with a bleeding arm and one very serious thought in mind.

_Was that snake….poisonous?_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hope you liked that chapter! I think my vocabulary got a bit better, but you're the judge of that. Please let me know how I did. Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated! Always! Good or bad ones. ^^ Thanks. :)


	29. Lead

**Author's Note: **I'M BACK! Lol. Exaggeration…. XD Hope you like this part! :) Ohh and uh….the title in the last chapter didn't feel like sticking in the middle of the intro. Sorry 'bout that. xD

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

I'm also going to let you know that SCHOOL'S OVER! YEAH BABY! lol. Grade 10? Here I come! lol. But that's not until two months from now. I had four exams in two days and my mind was spinning. I came home saying I had studying to do, I was that unsure school was over. xD Funny huh? lol. But now I've got summer and I'm going to be updating as much as possible. ^^ Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten, oh and favourites and alerts too. Special thanks to whoever reads my fanfics. You are amazing. ^^ Even if you didn't leave a review, it's all cool. Just knowing people read my fanfic is the best. Thanks everyone! :) Enjoy the summer! ^^ Oh and the fic too. ^/^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**

* * *

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**Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 28**

I felt my breath getting heavier and quicker. I was just bit from a snake I had no idea was either poisonous or not. It's not like I've never been bitten from a snake or something before, but Kaiba's virtual world actually containing some, and then me actually getting BITTEN left me feeling light headed. I didn't actually think my arm would start _bleeding_ too…Kaiba made our minds able to live physical and mental hits. Holy-

Suddenly I heard some shuffling ahead of me. A cloud of dust rose up from the ground a little ways away. My eyes snapped up toward the direction it had come from. I quickly staggered up to my feet, holding my bleeding arm and leaning against one of the walls on the sides of the alley. I strained my eyes to see what was coming this way. I didn't understand why I suddenly started panicking or hyperventilating for that matter, but I guess the fact that the snake bit me was still scaring my mind.

I finally saw a shadow in the middle of the half dark alley. It came closer and closer until a figure was standing in front of me.

"I knew I saw someone here…." it was a female's voice, but it sounded a little young. She took a step closer and asked in a much more concerned voice, "Are you hurt?"

My lips suddenly felt dry. I licked around them hesitantly and said, my voice suddenly shaking, "A-a snake bit me."

The girl came a little closer, and I could finally see what she looked like. Her hair was long and braided at the back and it was a dark, almost-black-colour. Then her skin was slightly tanned and her clothes seemed like a simple dress made of a stiff cloth and she looked a little younger than I was.

The girl said nothing as she took my arm. I winced in spite of myself but she held it delicately. She looked it over carefully before looking to me.

"My mother knows more about snake bites." she said. "Come. I'll take you to her."

I hesitated, but just in case Kaiba can actually poison people in his virtual game, I nodded and followed her out of the alley.

She took me down another alley connected to the one I we had come through until she was in front of a house. It seemed to be made of packed, yellow dirt; like those peasant and family houses from Egypt.

The little girl walked me to the house's entrance and told me to wait. She went through the beaded doorway and disappeared. I stood outside patiently, holding my arm and trying to use the end of my long white t-shirt to clean somewhat of the blood off.

After about several minutes, a woman who looked almost like the girl, came through the doorway. She held some bandages and scissors in her hand.

"My daughter says that you've been bitten?" she asked in a superior manner; not enough to intimidate though.

"Y-yes ma'am." I stuttered, not helping myself. I guess maybe the heat of the sun was getting to me and the fact of seeing blood after what….5,000 years added to the pressure.

I held out my arm so the woman could see it. She put the bandages and scissors down on the doorstep and took a firm but steady grip onto my arm. She looked it over like the little girl did, but she took more time. She took some of my blood onto one of the bandages and looked at it thoroughly.

"Your blood hasn't changed colour." she said. I guess from the kind of snake that bit me, my blood would probably have looked different. "It also seems to be at the same consistency. You haven't been poisoned." she gave me a kind smile then and I let go a low breath that I was holding.

"Thank you so much." I said, getting my normal voice back. Then the lady picked up the bandages from the ground.

"You're welcome. I will get my son to put the bandages on you. I have something cooking inside." she said.

"Of course." I smiled, giving her a small bow in respect. "Thank you, again for your hospitality."

The lady smiled then went back inside. Just a few seconds later, a boy around my age and height walked through the door. My cheeks suddenly became inexplicitly hot.

His dark, again, almost-black-hair was held up by a white head band, which let his bangs fall over around his face. His eyes were a vivid green, and bright too. He had my height and look-to-be body weight. He wasn't wearing any top, only cargo pants. You could imagine how that would look; lean and well-toned, right? Haha….I like how I describe the guys with very much intensity. XD

He held the bandages his mother had been holding and smiled a small smile at me. I blushed again, but I didn't know why; either from the heat I was suddenly feeling or from the sun.

He sat on the doorstep crisscrossed and lightly patted the spot beside him. I timidly sat down next to him and showed him my arm.

"It's been bleeding for a while now." I cautioned. He simply nodded and daintily held my arm.

From behind him, he brought out a small pail of water and dipped in a wash cloth. He wringed it loose a bit and carefully applied it onto my torn skin. I hissed at the pain but he kept going.

As he kept cautiously washing my skin, taking care from the ripped skin which had probably happened from the sudden movement of my arms being thrown in front of me out of stimuli at the time of the bite, he asked me something reasonable.

"What were you doing in that alley in the first place?" he asked. I solemnly shrugged.

"I…I was looking for a friend." I said quietly. He began putting the bandages around my arm and I finally got to see the two long gashes the snake left behind.

"Is he dressed the same as you?" the boy asked, quirking an eyebrow. I shifted my eyes. No one had a trench coat like Kaiba's…. xD

"Er…yeah." I said, slightly anime sweat dropping. The boy finished cutting and taping the ends on the bandages.

"Well…if it helps," he started tentatively. "A while ago, I saw someone taking a prisoner to the temple below the mountains." He then pointed a finger towards the other side of the town, confirming the mountains there.

"But it's on the other side of the desert." he added in, turning to look back at me. I wondered how he got the bright green eyes, while his sister and mother had brown ones.

I rose back onto my feet and helped the boy who helped me up too. "That's good enough info. Thank you." I said smiling gratefully. He smiled back.

Then I bowed my head in respect again, just like when I did to his mother. "Thank you so much for your family's and your help. I am grateful." I said appreciatively.

"It wasn't a problem." he shrugged with his smile still intact. I thought he was kinda nice. ^^

I smiled again and held out a hand for a handshake. He gradually complied and I took a step back waving. Then I was off toward the fountain, with the boy waving back.

* * *

I sat down on the edge of the fountain, panting lightly from my run, and finally took the time to take a look at my bandaged arm. The fabric the boy used was wound securely around from my elbow to my wrist. For the first time that moment, I realized it was my right hand. The boy didn't even notice the duel disk thing on my left. Maybe he couldn't see it.

"Sarah!" someone chorused as I heard footsteps coming my way. I looked up from my bandaged hand to find Mokuba, Joey, and Yugi running this way from their directions.

"We've been looking for you for the past five minutes!" Joey huffed, doubling over and holding onto his knees.

"Oh…" I frowned at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take more than an hour." I hadn't even noticed an hour had gone by….

Yugi did the same as Joey, but recovered quicker than him. He was also the first to see my bandaged arm. His eyes widened as he sat next to me and held up my arm.

"How did you get this?" he half asked half demanded. I remember the boy cleaning it and blushed in embarrassment.

"O-oh…um, I was bitten by a snake, but it isn't bad!" I said quickly to get everyone to calm down. Mokuba walked over to my other side.

"How'd you…" I already understood his question.

"It was a girl who led me to her mum, who told me the bite wasn't poisonous, and then her brother bandaged it up." I said all at once, not raising any questions from the boys' mouths. They sat down next to me reluctantly. Then what the boy said came to my mind.

"Oh, I also found a clue." Everyone looked up from my arm but Mokuba had to be the one who looked more hopeful. "The boy I was talking with said he saw someone walk a prisoner toward a temple below the mountains." I pointed to the said area just as the boy had done. Everyone looked to my direction.

"That must be Seto!" Mokuba said his voice clinging to hope as much as it could. His eyes showed it clearly. That baka pain in my heart from before came back…

"Then let's go!" I said jumping to my feet and beginning my run to the other side of town, Mokuba followed suit. Yugi and Joey blinked before running to catch up.

As we finally reached the desert, I looked beyond it to find the temple. Joey was already criticising about the sand sitting in front of him.

"How in the world are we going to get through this?" he asked incredulously. I looked around, from where I was standing to the edge of the mountain area.

"We could….fly." I suggested. The three boys behind me anime fell. XD And I sweat dropped.

"Yeah Sarah." Mokuba said getting up off the ground and dusting the sand off from him. "If we had wings and a beak then yeah sure."

"Well that's all you need to cross the desert!" someone suddenly cackled to our right. We turned around to find a man sitting on a rocking chair on the porch of a house. He looked to be an elder but his face held a mischievous smile, like he knew something we didn't. In this case, I guess he did.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked, not understanding what the man meant when all Mokuba had said was meant to be a joke.

"I mean you need the Niwatori card!" The man chortled. I blinked.

But Joey seemed to understand what he had meant. He slapped his fist into his palms in recognition. "Oh yeah!" he said. "That new monster card that came out recently! Kaiba must have used that as a key component in this game."

I pondered over that thought. Of course, it was like Kaiba to use something only top duelists would know about first before others in his game and work. He's such a smart ass…. XD Sorry, couldn't help saying that, but he's just cool like that.

"Where can we find it?" Yugi asked the man.

"You can't find it." the man said with that mysterious smile still on his face. "It can only be won."

I turned to face the others. "Do you….wanna check out all the card stands?" I asked, referring to one that we ran into before.

Mokuba nodded. "That sounds like a plan." he said.

I saluted the man behind us before walking a little ways toward a direction we had last seen a card stand. "Thanks mister!" I cried gratefully, and we sprinted on out of there. The man, even thought he had that mysterious glint in his eyes, had helped us.

* * *

We were back at the fountain. Panting. From all that running. Because we couldn't find that card anywhere.

"We've searched…all over the place…" I breathed heavily, bringing my bandaged arm over my eyes as I leaned against the brick fountain.

Yugi sat down next to me. "And we couldn't…find it…" he finished, thinking I didn't have the energy to continue.

Mokuba shook his head and stood up straight from doubling over and trying to catch his breath. "But it has to be here somewhere!" he cried desperately.

"We're not giving up Mokuba." I said, reassuring the young boy that we weren't even thinking about it. "There has to be a way to get that card-"

"What's that over there?" Joey asked, looking over our heads and toward the side of a building. There appeared to be a billboard pinned into the ground which had caught the blond's attention.

"Er…what could that be?" I asked lamely. Yugi beat everyone there as soon as we stood up.

"It's a contest." he said skimming over the words. Then I saw his amethyst eyes widen. "And the prize for the winner is the Niwatori card!"

I jumped up and down all of a sudden. "Yes!" I said punching the air. "We have a lead everyone!"

Mokuba looked over the billboard too. "It says that the contest is happening at the coliseum." he observed. "That's at the centre of town."

"Then let's head on over there right now." I said, gaining new energy. I braced myself to sprint when Joey held my wrist and pulled me back.

"Wait a minute," he said, his eyes were pleading. "Do we have to run, _again_?"

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Author's Note:

hehe. That last line cracked me up once it came into my head. Hope you liked that chapter. ^^ Worked on all of it today! Woot! XD Reviews are appreciated! ^^ 


	30. Trapped

**Author's Note: **Hm….maybe the center button's working….? I dunno. I'm sorry I thought the titles weren't in the center but it looks like they're doing fine. XD Please ignore my demented remarks and I hope you enjoy this chapter. xD

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

I'm also going to let you know that SCHOOL'S OVER! YEAH BABY! lol. Grade 10? Here I come! lol. But that's not until two months from now. I had four exams in two days and my mind was spinning. I came home saying I had studying to do, I was that unsure school was over. xD Funny huh? lol. But now I've got summer and I'm going to be updating as much as possible. ^^ Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten, oh and favourites and alerts too. Special thanks to whoever reads my fanfics. You are amazing. ^^ Even if you didn't leave a review, it's all cool. Just knowing people read my fanfic is the best. Thanks everyone! :) Enjoy the summer! ^^ Oh and the fic too. ^/^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 29

After a slightly small laughing session and spas attack, Mokuba, Yugi, Joey, and I ran our way, yes ran again, toward the coliseum. It was located to one side of the small town and it looked so much like the Roman coliseum. Its pillars stood proudly against the pale sand and bright sunlight. The blue sky soothed my eyes after all those different shades of yellow.

When we reached the front doors and walked in to see if we can compete, we met what looked to be a toad-like being. It looked like a goblin or something but it could walk and talk like a normal human being. It was dressed almost the same as everyone else; stiff clothes and sandals was what he was wearing.

"We're here to compete in the fight." I said as soon as the person saw us walk through the doorway. I noticed some flies wandering around his head and I wondered is it was because of the stench of him or something.

"Do you really think you're strong enough to fight against our champion?" he challenged.

Yugi tried next. "We need the Niwatori card." he explained. "That's why we need to compete."

The toad-like creature simply crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked to where the ground was at his feet in thought. "I'm wondering if you guys are capable of this." he sighed. Joey retorted.

"What do you mean we're not able to win?" he yelled out in rage. I blinked a bit stupidly.

"Er…Joseph?" I inquired. _'Ugh….stupid formality!' _"He never said we wouldn't be able to win. He just thought we weren't capable."

Joey's face turned white. Then he laughed a bit nervously. "Uh…..I-I knew that." Mokuba rolled his eyes at the blond.

Yugi turned back to look at the host. "So what do you say?" he asked.

The host held his chin in his hands and thought aloud, "Well, I do believe you have a shot at this. Oh alright, why not?"

"Alright!" I cheered along with the rest of the group. We were just one step closer to finding Kaiba. After this, we'll hopefully have the Niwatori card. Then we'll be able to get through the desert and in time to save Kaiba from whatever he's being held prisoner for.

Mr. Toad, yeah I'mma call him that, turned around to face the desk that was sitting behind him. He took something off it and turned around once again to hand whatever he picked up to Yugi.

"This is your battle costume." he said, starting his way to the courtyard of the coliseum. "Make sure you're wearing this when one of you fight."

"Wait." I said suddenly, just as the host left through the empty doorway. "One of us can only fight?"

Joey stepped forward and grabbed the green cape and mask from his friend's hands. "Apparently." he stated, as if he'd already made the choice of who was going in to do this. "So I'll go."

So he did. "But Joey." I protested. "You already have less life points than us, let me go!"

The blond merely shook his head. His eyes shown pure determination. "You're not goin' pipsqueak."

My jaw fell to the ground in utter shock. Just because I was a hand and a half shorter than this guy, he thinks he can go around calling me a….a shorty?

"Why you little…." I said gritting my teeth and raising a fist to his face. Joey merely smirked a bit down at me. That was the thing that made me stop. He was looking DOWN at me. I hadn't noticed that. Now that he had said what he said, I looked between Yugi and Joey. Mokuba was ok, but I noticed for the very first time since I met everyone, that I was in the middle of both Yugi's and Joey's height. I was the monkey-in-the-middle. xD

I growled deep within my throat and glared at the blond in front of me. "You know what?" I said with a small smirk of my own. "Go right ahead. Just don't hurt yourself with their champion."

Joey glared and I laughed.

"Alright." Mokuba said cutting our converse off. "The three of us will go ahead into the coliseum stands. Joey, good luck."

Yugi nodded and walked with Mokuba through the doorway into the stands on the other side. I shot Joey a small glare and pointed two fingers at my eyes.

"I'm watching you…." I said trying to be menacing while I pointed those same two fingers back at the blond. Joey sweat dropped.

"Ok, ok." he said, tying the cape onto his back and staring a little evilly at the mask. It was a pig mask. That's not mature. At all.

"…good luck." I said, smiling a little before walking out the same way as the others. I met up with them on the stands, but I missed the small smile on Joey's face.

The coliseum looked to be packed with men; only men. And all of them were here to see the match that was about to start. They were cheering for their champion no doubt. Everyone was on their feet, punching the air and shouting encouraging remarks.

But to Joey they were different. As soon as he walked through the doorway with the pig mask on his head (which by the way, made me angry every second I saw the damned thing on him), the people in the stands began throwing horrible remarks at him.

"Let's go Joey!" I shouted, making a megaphone with my hands over my mouth, even though some people gave me odd looks. I glared back at them as they looked away. These guys can't bring my buddy down…..even though he just called me 'pipsqueak'…..which by the way, he's still gotta pay for. XD

Mr. Toad (haha) came back into view from the VIP box. He spread his arms to his sides, gesturing to the whole arena, and announced, "We have finally found someone who is willing to fight our champion! Give it up for Mr. Porkers!" Insert an anime anger mark on my head when you imagine how I'd be feeling. XD

Immediately everyone started booing at Joey. Yugi, Mokuba and I shouted encouraging acknowledgements at him nonetheless. We weren't about to let them have all the satisfaction in this.

"And on the other side of the arena," Mr. Toad continued (*wipes eyes from tears of laughter*), "Is our continuous champion, Madam Butterfly!"

'_Madam…?' _I thought. So their champion's a she…

'_Not like I have a problem or anything….' _I quickly added into my mind. Then I mentally smacked my forehead. _'Why am I talking to myself in my mind…?'_

Out from the opposite side of the court, four men came in carrying a throne on which seated a lady with a butterfly mask on her face and a purple cape on her back. She looked as tall as Joey and I saw some of her hair; it was blond.

'_Hm….where have I seen that kind of blond before?' _I distinctly remembered a blond that bright and hair in that style. I know I've seen someone like this somewhere…

"Looks like I've finally got an opponent!" The lady behind the mask said in an up-tight attitude. I'm pretty sure I've witnessed that somewhere too…

"Get ready to lose!" Joey grunted and pulled off a card from the top of his deck. "Flame Swordsman!" he called, raising his card toward the sky.

There was a bright light emitting from the card before showing the monster Joey had summoned. He stood with his sword by his side, as if it would light any moment with fire and he would attack at the same time.

"Good move." Madam Butterfly said smugly, with her smile still intact though. "But I'll summon Harpie Lady! She never lets me down!"

From Joey's opponent's card, a beam of light escaped and there stood the Harpie Lady Madam Butterfly summoned. She flipped her hair as if she'd rehearsed it for hours to get it perfect.

My eyes began squinting even harder at the figure Joey was up against. She looked so…oddly familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it…

"My Flame Swordsman can easily destroy your Harpie." Joey said with a small smirk. "Attack! And destroy her monster!"

The Flame Swordsman raised his sword higher to his side and as ordered by Joey, he lunged in to slice the Harpie Lady in half. But when he got just within reaching range, Madam Butterfly pulled a trap.

"Mirror Wall!" An ice coloured mirror shot up from the ground to shield the Harpie Lady from the attack. It showed the swordsman's reflection and deflected his attack.

That same click in the back of my mind, from the time I felt it in the graveyard, that same click…it happened again. I know I've seen this strategy from somewhere.

I felt Yugi tense beside me too. He'd probably just figured out the same thing.

"Now I equip my Harpie with Rose Whip!" Madam Butterfly continued. Yup, it was no doubt about it. Yugi and I know who that is, but how could she have gotten here?

"Now my Harpie, attack the bonehead's monster!" the woman in disguise declared and her Harpie Lady began raising her Rose Whip above her wrist and started forward with her whip at the ready.

Suddenly we saw Joey take off his mask and Madam Butterfly immediately stopped her attack.

"…Joey?" she asked rather flustered. Then she began cautiously removing her mask to reveal those unchanging, determined violet eyes. Yugi and I were on our feet in the fast moving observations going on.

"Hey Mai." Joey said with a relatively small blush on his face.

"Mai!" Yugi and I cried together. We hopped over the front row seats' railings and ran over to where the two duelists were standing. Mokuba followed right behind us.

Mai blinked slowly at us in confusion as we approached. "Yugi, Mokuba, Sarah, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"We should be asking you the same question." Mokuba said. Yugi nodded with some tension in his eyes.

"Mokuba's right, Mai." he said. "It's pretty dangerous here."

Mai looked around the stadium, as if looking for what Yugi might be talking about. Then her gaze stopped onto Joey's.

"How did you get here Mai?" I asked, not quite understanding how she had gotten into the game.

"I was testing this game for some suits at Kaiba Corp.." she said defiantly. Then her brows furrowed in confusion. "What about you guys?"

"My brother's been kidnapped." Mokuba said in a defeated voice. I don't think he likes thinking about his older brother being the one kidnapped. It hurt to see him like this. Plus I don't think Kaiba would like it if someone spilled the gossip about all of this.

"He's in the temple across the desert." I said. "But we can't go any further without the Niwatori card." Mai's eyes widened slightly.

"That's the prize card for this match." she realized. The group nodded our heads. But then the crowd around us stood on their feet and began booing. I forgot we were still here with a bunch of other people.

"What's going on?" Mr. Toad asked in annoyance. "You two have to keep fighting to declare a winner!"

The crowd became more restless now, demanding that the show keep going, but we didn't have time for that. We needed the card NOW or else it'll take forever to get to Kaiba.

"Leave this to me." Mai whispered. Then she ordered her Harpie to use her Rose Whip.

At first I thought she was going to use it on Joey's monster, but when the whip curled itself around the Niwatori card that was sitting comfortably in a velvet box beside Mr. Toad, I took that thought back. Mai must have realized how quickly we needed to get to Kaiba with our current predicament. The Rose Whip brought the card over to Mai, just in time for Mr. Toad to understand what had just happened.

"Hey-the card!" Everyone in the crowd didn't even hesitate when the toad said, "After them! They're stealing the prize card!"

"And that's our cue to leave." Mai said smoothly as she headed toward the direction of the doors to the coliseum. She ditched her costume before making her way through the doorway; same as Joey and we followed the both of them out into the open. The group headed out on a full sprint toward the desert with the crowd behind us. The raid of men were right on our tails and we were already running our fastest.

Someone shouted they were too fast; I'm pretty sure it was Mokuba, but I wasn't sure from all the shouts the men were giving us, like a lecture on the run. Joey skidded to a halt right next to me which made me stop right beside him. What was he doing?

"Joey, we have to get out of here!" I urged. Then I saw him take a card off from his deck.

"I know but I thought maybe we could slow these guys down!" he explained. Raising the card into the air, he yelled, "Trap Hole!"

A crater the size of an indoor pool, or deeper, was made smack in the middle of the road we were running through. The angry crowd of men stopped abruptly in their tracks behind it all just in time to not fall in. They looked around, up and down, and side to side, wondering how to cross it to get us. Joey, instead of wanting to find out, quickly grabbed my arm and yanked me in the direction we were headed.

* * *

Everyone stopped at the edge of the desert. I fell down onto my ass so I could catch a quick breath.

"I haven't…run like that….since…forever…" I panted, wiping my arm across my forehead. Joey looked down at me sheepishly from his doubled over composure.

"At least those village folk aren't haunting us no more." he said. That was a good point.

"Alright you guys." Mai was standing up straight, unlike the rest of us, with her hands on her hips and her gaze toward the other side of the desert. "Ready to go?" she asked.

Yugi helped Mokuba up and nodded. "Let's go." he said. I went on over and stood next to both boys.

Mai held up the prize card we'd taken from the villagers in the coliseum and shouted, "I call forth the Niwatori!" Five chicken-like creatures appeared onto the sand in front of us. I looked them over in curiosity.

"We're supposed to ride them?" Mokuba asked blinking. It was his and his brother's game…

The younger Kaiba knew the answer before he even got onto the chicken. Everyone just gave him a grumbled answer, probably from all the running. It affected my brain I know that much.

* * *

We were halfway across the desert on our new 'transportation vehicles' when I noticed a slight rumbling. I didn't understand it at first but when Yugi suddenly stopped beside me, I knew I wasn't the only one who had heard. It wasn't my imagination.

The sand began to pick up just a bit. In fact, ever since we left the village, the sand has begun to stir little by little until we had a miniature sandstorm on our hands. The wind blew the dry grains at us in every direction, pounding us in our face and backs. I had to squint my eyes to see where I was going in case some of them got into my eyes.

Then the rumbling grew louder. I quickly unmounted my chicken and put my ear to the ground, just listening.

"It's coming from below us." I muttered when I got back up. Everybody immediately put a hand to their deck, including me.

Suddenly, there was a huge burst of movement. It was so great, that when the sand picked up from the force was thrown, it sent me tumbling a few meters away. I landed with a light thump onto the ground. I looked up to see what had come out from underneath the virtual earth.

It was a sand dragon, the size of the coliseum we had just left.

"That thing is huge…." I said and even though it wasn't cold, at all, my teeth began chattering.

Joey pulled out a card from his deck and yelled out. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Come out and beat this thing!"

The black dragon with it's piercing red eyes glared at the monster in front of us. It opened its mouth wide and sent out a huge shockwave of fiery energy toward the enemy. The sand dragon immediately fell into a cloud of dust.

"Go Joey!" I choked. The dust seemed to clog my lungs for a second.

"You're on a roll today!" Yugi said a bit impressed at his friend's accomplishments. The blond sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't jinx it now…" Mokuba muttered from beside me, as he helped me back onto my feet. I said my thanks as we watched Joey fume.

When the clouds of dust finally stilled, we found ourselves face to face with an enormous temple. It looked to be made from the same material as the houses back in the village but this time the pillars that held it up had more intricate designs on them and it was bigger than any other building we had seen so far.

"This has to be the temple where they're hiding my brother!" Mokuba acknowledged and Mai, Yugi, Joey, and I soon found ourselves running after the boy who decided to head into the temple without a second thought.

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We were facing double doors when we stopped in the tunnel. The temple outside was beautiful while the inside was a cave that was dark and dusty with torches hanging every few feet. The doors stood on their hinges proudly as if hiding something from the world. But what's behind them?

"Looks like the end of the line here." Joey said, looking around one last time for any other kinds of doors.

Yugi nodded and placed his hands on the doors' handles to open them up.

When the doors finally moved aside with a loud creak, we stood there gaping at the sight before us.

It was a labyrinth dungeon. Just like the set-up of the Paradox brothers' duel.

"Ow…" I said, grasping my head and wincing. "Déjà vu…."

Joey scoffed. "You're right." he said. Then he stepped inside. Everyone reluctantly followed.

Once we were inside the dungeon, the metal and wood doors behind us creaked again and slammed shut back into their original places. We all spun around on our heels, jumping. Someone wanted us trapped.

The boys and I tried pushing at the doors, but they wouldn't budge. They felt like the dead weight Atlas has on his shoulders from carrying the sky. They wouldn't move. (**Author's Note: **That was a Greek point. XD Ancient Greek. ^^)

"Great…" I muttered defiantly as I leaned against the doors and slid towards the ground. "We're not goin' anywhere but forward."

Yugi shrugged. "Well, you'll never be able to finish the game without going backwards anyway." Another point for the group. Anyone else?

"So what should we do?" Mai asked, turning to face Yugi.

Yugi was about to say something, when a sudden scream ripped through the air. It sounded like a terrified one. There was someone else inside the labyrinth. Were they enemies or friends?

And…..what's that distant rumbling I'm hearing all of a sudden?

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Author's Note:

Well! That was chapter 29 for ya! Hope you liked it. Reviews are appreciated! ^^ Thanks for reading! ^^ REMINDERS are at the top again. I'm going to put them up until I'm gone in July. :) 


	31. Labyrinth

**Author's Note: **hehe. Another chapter up. *sighs* What a funny beginning to summer vacation; work. I'm kidding! I don't find it work at all. ^/^ Uh….heh. XD lol. I was seriously just kidding though. You guys are amazing. :) Thanks for reading my fanfic. ^^

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

I'm also going to let you know that SCHOOL'S OVER! YEAH BABY! lol. Grade 10? Here I come! lol. But that's not until two months from now. I had four exams in two days and my mind was spinning. I came home saying I had studying to do, I was that unsure school was over. xD Funny huh? lol. But now I've got summer and I'm going to be updating as much as possible. ^^ Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten, oh and favourites and alerts too. Special thanks to whoever reads my fanfics. You are amazing. ^^ Even if you didn't leave a review, it's all cool. Just knowing people read my fanfic is the best. Thanks everyone! :) Enjoy the summer! ^^ Oh and the fic too. ^/^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 30**

"Did you guys hear that?" I whispered to the others. Everyone nodded their heads slowly.

"It sounded like a girl!" Joey exclaimed and by looking at his face, I realized he was all too excited. "Don't worry. I got this!" The blond began darting off into the labyrinth's entrance, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

"Wait, Joey!" I shouted after him. It was a maze the size of a football field and Joey had just run into it mindlessly of where he would go. I didn't know girls were that much of boys' weaknesses.

"He'll do anything for a girl's attention. That boy obviously knows I'M way out of his league." Mai stated crossing her arms. I wanted to tease, but the fact that Joey was in the maze without knowing where to go exactly kind tipped me into the direction that I shouldn't.

Yugi said, "Well, lets' go find him, before he completely loses himself." Mokuba retorted.

"Yeah." he said. "trying to find the girl." I burst into a two second laugh attack. XD

We were just about to head off into the mix of stones and winding pathways, when I stopped moving all together. I held up a hand and strained my ears to hear any further. I swore I just heard a slight rumble…

"Something wrong Sarah?" Yugi asked in concern. I closed my eyes for a better listen. When I reopened them, they held some concern too, but unlike Yugi, it wasn't for me.

"Do you guys." I swallowed nervously before continuing on. "D-do you hear that?"

Mai looked around to see anything out of the ordinary. But what was so ordinary of a maze being behind the doors of a temple, anyway?

"I don't see anything making any kind of noise." Mokuba said carefully, looking over the wood over the door. I patted the side of my lip thoughtfully.

"Wait!" Yugi cried, looking to the group's left. I stared off after him.

That rumbling I heard…just got a lot louder. It sounded as if it was getting even closer.

"It's a Labyrinth Tank!" Mai cried out, pointing to the direction we were all looking at. A blue tank the size of an SUV or bigger just appeared from behind the shadows. It looked angry….how do I know? The lasers on its sides were pointed straight at us, and they were charging.

"Get into the maze, right now!" I ordered to the others. No one hesitated to even question about which turn to take when we get to a fork in the road.

Mokuba and Mai ran into the labyrinth first. Yugi was about to follow but when I didn't move from my spot, he stopped behind me.

"Sarah. We have to go!" he said. I drew a card from my deck.

"Well, I thought that maybe I could slow it down." I reasoned while I raised the card high above my head. "Warrior of Elements! Slow this sucker down for us!"

A female in a total bronze and silver armour outfit appeared from out of a stream of light from within my card. She unsheathed her sword and held it out in front of her while facing the oncoming one-man army.

"She won't be able to hold on for long." I warned. Then I took a hold of Yugi's hand and quickly rushed into the beginning of the maze, dragging him behind me.

We stopped when we reached a fork in the path. Mai, Mokuba, and Joey were just off to the left when they heard us coming in.

"You guys sure took a while." Mokuba observed very innocently. We blushed but didn't say anything.

"I tried stopping the tank with one of my monsters." I explained. Suddenly I heard a continuous beeping noise and my heart almost dropped. My life points decreased.

"Looks like that thing beat it." Mai said looking onto my wrist same as me. I had 1900 LP left now, but right now, that doesn't matter. I could hear the tank rumbling this way.

Suddenly from out of nowhere, there were more rumbling noises. Everyone looked down all the directions in the split in the road only to have a very strong and bad feeling in the pit of our stomachs.

"There's not more of those things, are there?" Joey asked shaking dramatically. I took a step back and put a hand to my deck.

"Looks like it…" I muttered under my breath. Since my Warrior didn't win against that thing, maybe Sword of Deception would do the trick. But before I could summon her, Yugi thought of a better plan.

"Wait a minute." he said, stopping me from drawing any cards. "How about I use a magic card that'll get us out of this dead end situation and the enemy monster attacks?" For a second there, I didn't really think it could happen when he said it like that.

"Do you really have a card that'll get us out of here Yug'?" Joey asked incredulously. Yugi nodded and took a card off from the top of his deck.

"I do, and it's called Magical Hats!" A bright, luminous light glowed from Yugi's card and then everything suddenly turned black, like there was no light at all. But I know something just happened. The rumbling of the Labyrinth Tanks seemed to have stopped, and then for an eerie second, all was silent. Then the sound started again but it seemed to have gotten more distant.

When the darkness disappeared, I looked up in time to see the out line of a large black top hat materializing into the air. At that moment I realized Yugi had actually transferred us into another part of the maze, hopefully somewhere near the end of it.

"Great thinking Yugi." I said to him. He smiled sheepishly.

Then from the corner of my eye, I saw Joey flinch. I turned around to see him pointing at a tiny ball of light floating in mid air. I blinked.

"Hey isn't it that little fairy we've seen at the Graveyard?" Mokuba asked questionably while he looked more closely at the ball of light. Now that he mentioned it, it did look like the little fairy we saw before. But what was it doing in here?

"You met fairies?" Mai asked carefully. I nodded.

"We thought that maybe she would lead us to something." I said.

Then the fairy began to move. It flew straight out into a path on our left, making no stops at all. We didn't hesitate to quickly but carefully follow her. How'd I know it was a she in the first place? Her face seemed really soft.

"Iru!" A voice said from ahead of us. We all jumped a bit in surprise.

"Iru I'm so glad you're alright!" It was a girl who looked to be Mokuba's height. Speaking of Mokuba, the girl seemed to have the same hair as him too.

"Er….What's Mokuba doin' in a dress?" Joey asked cluelessly. Mokuba sweat dropped and stood up from behind him.

"Idiot, I'm over here." he said through clenched teeth. Joey blinked.

"They look the same." I breathed out in shock.

Mokuba stood in front of the girl and asked, "Were you the one who screamed a while ago?" I guess he wasn't about to lose his cool in front of her…

The girl nodded. "Yes." she said timidly, holding the hem of her dress. Her voice had a small accent to it, but I couldn't understand what kind. It might have been English.

"Do you know a way out of this maze?" Joey came up beside the look a-likes and asked. The girl shook her head sadly.

"I'm afraid I'm lost too." she said. All of us sighed helplessly. But then the girl showed the fairy we were following. "But Iru's my guide. I'm sure she'll find a way out of this maze for us."

So we began following the little pixie through many different roads of the maze. She led us right to the end of it all. When we finally reached the entrance, I sighed and wiped my forehead.

"Home free!" Joey yelled into the air, but the sudden roar emitted from the shadows in front of us made him change his mind. "D-did I mean home free?" he stuttered. "I meant I deep trouble!"

The roar sounded deep and low. It felt as though it was echoing off the walls. I swore I heard more than one. It also sounded so very familiar.

Suddenly the roaring got louder. Everyone looked around themselves in haste. I took a step in front of Yugi, even thought he gave me an astonished look.

A huge figure the size of two cars stacked on top of each other emerged from behind the darkness. It seemed to be in three different colours; gold, green, and blue and it stood blocking us from our complete exit of the cave. Now I know what monster that was.

"The Gate Guardian!" Mai looked up at the monster before us in a look of both shock and awe. She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't think of anything that can beat it!"

Yugi, Joey, and I exchanged smirks. Then we put our hands to our decks and simultaneously drew the top card. I was standing in the middle of the two boys, so when we held up our cards to play a combo, it seemed like an equation.

"I summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey said and his monster appeared right next to him.

"And I bring forth the Summoned Skull!" Yugi said next and his own monster stood on his own side.

"Ready you guys?" I asked defiantly, before activating my own card. "I use Polymerization to fuse them together!" My card appeared right in between the two monsters. All three mixed together in a bunch of colours before coming together to form-

"-The Black Skull Dragon!" The three of us cried out together. Our combined monster stood before the Gate Guardian matching it up for size, but not exactly points.

"Uh…that monster's pretty powerful you guys." Mai implied. "But it's still low on attack points!"

"Not a problem." Joey said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. Then he pulled another card off from the top of his deck. "I play the magic card Dragon Nails to raise its attack!"

Shiny, metallic claw-like nails attached themselves to the dragon's claws. It's points raised enough to beat the opponent. With a roar, the Black Skull Dragon sent a ball of fire at the Gate Guardian, turning it into ashes and dust.

I jumped up and clapped my hands. "Yes! We rule!" Joey and Yugi then each gave me a high-five.

"That was impressive." Mokuba complimented.

His look-alike nodded. "Yes that very well done!" she said, smiling. Her little fairy began twirling around happily in the air.

Suddenly a glow of firelight emitted from the later depths of the caves. Followed that were voices. I stood in battle stance in case it was people that were enemies. But were they, or were they not?

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Author's Note:

Ah…next chapter up. Hope you liked it! AND JUST A REMINDER: Today is July the 7th. In 9 days 'm heading off. That's a little over a week. So I'm going to try my very hardest to try and finish this part of the season. If by any chance I don't, please forgive me. I have had a pretty tough end of the school year, being it my first 4 exams in 2 days x/, and then the braces I have on my teeth now, which by the way hurt a lot at the beginning x/, and then the fact that I'm going overseas for a month. When I arrive back, I shall finish the rest of season 1 and then get onto the fun season, number 2. XD hehe. I have a few ideas for Sarah and the Pharaoh in that…..ANYWAY enough said about that. Thanks for reading and hope you review! They're appreciated! Thank you!

And in advance, thanks for your patience. ^^


	32. Prophecy

**Author's Note: **Ah….another chapter. Interesting…..a mystery girl who looks like Mokuba…..Kaiba's nice. XD I'm kidding. Technically speaking, he is. Because he put his brother somewhere in there for a story to be made. Nice character based on Mokuba, Kaiba! :)

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

SUMMER'S HERE BABY! OH YEAH! lol. And I will hopefully be able to get a whole lot done. XD Thank you for everyone's support! ^^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 31**

"My lady!" a shout echoed off the cavern walls. There was a mob of people carrying torches of fire that were running our way. There was an old lady leading the way with an army of men wearing grey armour following her. They looked so relieved when they saw Mokuba's look-alike.

"My lady, are you alright?" the old woman asked her in worry. She had very kind eyes and her hair was put into a bun.

Mokuba's look-alike nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks to these people I met in the maze. They are the bravest people I have ever met!" All of us grinned sheepishly.

"It was nothing." I shrugged. Joey nodded behind me.

"Well, I would still like it if you would come with me to the palace." Mokuba's look-alike said. We all looked at each other before deciding.

"We could get a lead for my brother." Mokuba said. Yugi nodded beside him and then turned to face the girl.

"We'd love to." he said. And we were off out of the dreaded labyrinth. I swore into my mind that if I ever saw or go into another maze again, I might just have to sue the next person I see…. XD

* * *

We were now in a carriage, on our way to the palace Mokuba's look-alike invited us to. It was being pulled by birds instead of horses. The carriage itself was very intricate in design.

"This is so cool." I said, looking out the window. They was grass as far as I could see, but the sun was shining high in the sky. Man, how I missed that star.

"You should be flattered Kaiba based such a cool character in you Mokuba." Yugi said, facing the ebony haired boy from his seat. I was sitting next to him by the window while Mai, Joey, and Mokuba sat opposite us. I never saw Mai giving us a small smirk.

Joey snickered slightly, causing Mokuba to look right at him. "Yeah, my lady!" he teased. Mokuba was about ready to snap.

"Hey, you should stop bugging him Joey." Mai said glaring toward him. "Or you may lose a vital limb." I couldn't really help myself, so I started laughing aloud along with everyone else in the carriage except for the dumbfounded blond.

Soon, a beautiful white castle with blue rooftops came into view. It stood on a small hill and was surrounded with houses and shops of every kind. Everything looked bright and cheery, but we felt half of it and worry because of Kaiba being taken prisoner.

The carriages took us all the way to the centre where the castle stood tall and proud. As I was climbing out of the transport, I looked around to get a feel of everything. The other town seemed so different than this one. The other was full of sand and dirt while this one seemed enchanted and clean. But then again, Kaiba must have wanted to give more than one feeling for the game.

Mokuba's look-alike and the old lady we met from earlier led everyone and myself into the castle. It was huge.

"Oh, Princess Edina." the woman beside her suddenly said. "Would you like me to set up dinner for you?"

Everyone's jaw dropped. "Princess?" We cried in unison. I mean, her dress now made sense…it was so much more elegant than the old woman's.

Lady Edina nodded. "Yes." she said, a little sad though. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you."

Yugi shook his head. "It isn't a problem!" he said sweat dropping. "You just came out of a cave! That's what matters."

The princess nodded her head. "Even so, I bet the 5 of you are hungry." she said, and on cue, I heard Joey's stomach begin to grumble.

I turned around, blinking very innocently. Bending to level of the blonde's stomach, I kept a hand on my chin while the other one cautiously poked Joey's middle. "Is there something like another Labyrinth Tank in there?" I asked stupidly. Joey didn't know whether to blush or retort.

"Hands off the merchandise." he said, slapping my hand away playfully. Mai clocked him over the head.

"Don't touch her." she said, glaring at him lethally. Joey's jaw dropped as he began stuttering.

"But, she touched me first!" he argued. Mokuba and Yugi sweat dropped while I turned to the Princess and her caretaker.

"I'm really sorry." I said sheepishly. Lady Edina merely laughed.

"If this is how you usually are, then I'm glad you're back to normal." she chuckled. Then she turned with her caretaker and said over her shoulder, "We'll come get you when dinner is ready. Please don't go anywhere!"

I bowed my head in respect. "Yes, you're highness." I said and then watched her walk through double doors that were off to the left.

I hadn't noticed both Joey and Mai were still at each other's throats. When I turned around to see what was still going on, Mai had Joey in a headlock. I blinked.

"You really know how to press Joey's buttons." Yugi said, coming up to me. I knew he was trying to be serious, but I saw slight amusement in his eyes.

"I know." I smirked. Joey gave one final yank before ripping himself from Mai's arms and falling to the floor on his ass. Everyone cracked up.

* * *

Everyone was now seated around a long, white clothed table. Food of every kind was put into the centre with our plates sitting in front of us on the edge. Forks, knives, and spoons of expansive metal were at our disposal and the cloth itself was beautifully embroidered. Princess Edina was seated at the end of the table. Yugi sat perpendicular to her on one side while on the other was Mokuba. Sitting next to him was Mai while I was in between Yugi and Joey. The blond on my right was scarfing his food down.

"Everybody, keep yourselves away from Joey's mouth." Mai warned. Joey nearly choked just as she said that.

"You alright, man?" I asked with a sweat drop. Joey swallowed whatever was in his mouth and sighed.

"Yeah, don't worry." he said, grinning. "Happens all the time." Jee….I wonder why. XD

"So, Princess Edina." Yugi said, leaving me blinking at the blond. "Why were you in that cave with the labyrinth in the first place?"

Silence was swept throughout the whole room. The caretaker for Lady Edina shifted uncomfortably from her place beside the Princess. Finally she spoke, "Each year, both my kingdom and the one next to us give offerings so the Mythic Dragon can be resurrected. The other kingdom have already put up their offering-a stranger from a distant land."

"That's got to be my brother!" Mokuba cried in certainty. "Please, you've got to tell me where their holding him prisoner!"

"The stranger is being held in a dark castle in the sky-the Castle of Dark Illusions." Edina continued, answering Mokuba's question. Then she turns her attention toward a painting that was hanging on the wall behind Mokuba and Mai. It showed of a bird the size of a small airplane flying between night and day sceneries.

"Long ago, a legendary hero was said to have escaped from the castle on a flying machine, which he hid a thousand years ago." Edina began her tale. I placed my water glass down to listen. "No one has ever found it, but it's the only way to reach the dark castle."

"We can fly up there with our Duel Monsters." Mai suggested, but Lady Edina shook her head.

"The castle is protected by a magical barrier." she said, her voice saddened. "No monsters can penetrate it."

"Lady Edina." I said, tentatively. "Has your kingdom chosen it's offering?" I hated to ask the question, but we needed to know. Maybe we can help that person escape when we help Kaiba.

The caretaker put a handkerchief to her eyes all of a sudden and Edina looked down.

"I volunteered." she said quietly. Everyone around the table gasped. I was the first to talk.

"But Lady Edina, there has to be another way!" I exclaimed.

"I have Faith." she said, bringing her gaze up to look at Yugi. "For there is a prophecy in which epic heroes will come from beyond the mountains and destroy the Mythic Dragon. I believe you are the heroes of legend."

Everyone's a bit shocked, except for Joey, who thinks being a legendary hero is pretty cool. However, I was a little worried.

"We have to go rescue Kaiba." I said. "I guess we have no choice. He's in that floating castle Lady Edina talked about."

Yugi nodded his head and turned to face the Princess. "Lady Edina, is there a way for you to tell us how we can get to the castle?" he asked. "Maybe we could be the heroes from the legend."

Lady Edina's face brightened like the morning star. She clapped her hands together and said, her eyes shining, "That would be wonderful if you were! Of course I will show you where it is!"

"But first you must be dressed appropriately for the occasion." Edina's caretaker told us kindly. She had a smile on her face, probably the same emotion Edina has because after all, she was Princess and I bet she had so much to live for. It wouldn't have been right if she was offered to the Mythic Dragon.

Everyone looked mysteriously at the princess and her caretaker. They said they had special clothes for us?

* * *

I was behind a curtain in a stall, putting on the clothes Edina's caretaker gave us. They were warrior type clothes, something I grew fond of. My outfit was made of a dark leather. Upper and lower leg and arm guards, chest plate, and fingerless gloves. When I put them on, I looked myself over carefully in the mirror. I didn't look that bad. In fact, I think I looked like how I did from Egypt. Almost though. When I was sure I hadn't left anything out, I walked out of the stall to see Yugi sitting on the chest from where these clothes were pulled out from while Mai stood beside him. They both looked up from their conversation.

"So?" I spun around once, trying to get a feel out of it. "How does it look?"

Mai looked a bit surprised at first but then she smiled. "You're so lucky. You got leather." I sweat dropped.

"I like yours though Mai." I was a much bigger fan of the armour she was wearing. Her outfit was a regular, silver armour wear. She also had a sword in it's sheathe hanging from her side.

"But you got leather." she said, her eyes twinkling. I wonder why she was looking at me like that.

"Ah….I don't think I look ok." I said, looking myself a bit over.

Mai turned to Yugi who was, I never noticed, staring at me. "Hey Yugi? Does Sarah look good in leather?" Of course….she's teasing us.

Yugi involuntarily blushed, but it was small. "Y-yeah, you look great." he said. I smiled and looked him over a bit too.

"You don't look bad yourself." I said, keeping that smile on my face. He was wearing the same armour as Mai and he did look good in them. He blushed a little bit again.

Suddenly the stall that was beside mine opened. I blinked momentarily.

"Well…you three look normal." Joey grumbled as he walked out of the stall. He was wearing what looked to be a caveman's outfit, made of some kind of golden fur. He had a brown belt going around his waist and a Viking kind of helmet, but it wasn't so fancy. The fur only reached halfway down his upper legs.

"I know you wanna laugh." he said, glaring right at me.

I shook my head and jabbed my thumb to my chest, "Aw Joey. You don't look funny in it. I mean, look at me: I'm a walkin' leather cart."

Joey began blushing a little too, what's with the blushing all of a sudden? I didn't understand at all. "At least you're wearing normal clothes." he retorted still, but his eyes weren't as angry as before. I patted his bare shoulder sympathetically.

Suddenly there was a scream of help from out of nowhere. I looked around hastily.

"Come on!" Yugi urged us toward the door to the spare room we were in. "We have to go see what happened!" And with that said, we all ran out of the room and straight toward the sound of the voice.

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Author's Note:

Oh hey! I got this chapter up too! Maybe I CAN finish this part of the season in time! Hopefully! Everyone cross your fingers! I have until this Thursday and maybe I CAN get this done! See you all and happy reading! Until next chapter! xD Reviews are appreciated! xD Thanks!


	33. Uncovering and Fall

**Author's Note: **O_O Oh boy….somebody screamed. What's gonna happen here? And what if Sarah can't keep balance? (You'll find out what the hell I'm talkin' about in this chapter.) Happy reading! ^^

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

SUMMER'S HERE BABY! OH YEAH! lol. And I will hopefully be able to get a whole lot done. XD Thank you for everyone's support! ^^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 32**

The group and I were running out to the balconies of the castle where we heard the shout of help from. Mokuba, Edina, and her caretaker were out there looking over the railing with frightened looks. The villagers of the kingdom were huddled into the courtyard below for safety of the on coming attack.

Attack of what? Well, when everyone reached Edina's side, we found a shadow dark looking castle start to appear in the sky. The clouds forming it were shadows of evil. It looked pretty malignant and horrifying, I thought Kaiba went in over his head, but all of the terrible faces we saw in the shadows, must have just been the shadows themselves. The clouds surrounding the castle and its darkness were dark grey, signalling a storm.

Either way, the thousands of Duel Monsters coming out of it still scared me shitless.

"They're coming this way!" Joey shouted from my right. I looked to the Princess for orders of any kind when I noticed both her and Mokuba standing side by side near the railing. Edina's eyes looked….different.

"Let's just hold them off!" I shouted back, over the noise of wings and screeches coming from the monsters. I pulled a card off from my deck and held it up into the air. "Dimensional Alchemist!"

"My turn now!" Mai repeated my actions. "Dark Witch! Help us out!"

When both our monsters appeared onto the white, brick floor beside us, they shot off the railing and fly into the mass of monsters. They easily beat everyone in their way, but there was just WAY too many of them for those two alone to handle. We needed more help.

"Call back your monsters." Yugi said suddenly. Mai and I looked at him blankly. "Call them off, I have a plan."

We both hesitated, but reluctantly called back our monsters. Yugi took off a card from his own deck and shouted its name. "I'll use Dark Hole to just get rid of them all, all together!"

"Great idea!" I said, impressed.

But suddenly my Locket glowed. My eyes grew wide with fright as I rose my eyes to look at the castle rooftops. Without even hesitating, I jumped in front of Yugi, making him lose the grip on his card, and placed my arms over my eyes to keep the weapon from hitting me. A streak of silver shot down from the sky and it pinned Yugi's card to the floor. I felt a burning sensation on my arm and when I finally removed them from my eyes, I found Yugi staring at me in shock and everyone else looking at the card. I looked at the back of my right arm and found a clean, straight, slash that started bleeding just the slightest. The kunai must have done this when it was going for Yugi's card. At least it was me and not him…..that's the whole reason I jumped in front of him.

"It's a Strike Ninja!" Mai shouted, pointing to a figure dashing from shingle to shingle.

"He's probably here to get the Princess!" I said, ignoring my arm and Yugi's expression. He was completely dumbfounded as to why I would do that, but I didn't want to explain anything then. It was either card and him, or the card and me. And I chose the second option without even wanting to think. "We have to keep her safe!"

But the Strike Ninja was too fast. He was already above Edina's head and when he was in close range, he threw a net over her. Edina fell to her knees in the net as it encased her. The ninja was about to run off with her when Joey activated his own card.

"Axe Raider! Cut her loose!" Axe Raider appeared into the action with Kunai with Chain in hand. He swung it expertly toward the neck of the net and cut the threads held by the Strike Ninja. Joey was about to catch the now falling Princess when another Duel Monster, this time with wings, caught the net in its beak and began soaring toward the castle. The villagers and Edina's caretaker cried out in horror.

Mokuba, who was also wearing armour, fell to his knees. "No…." he whispered, but his voice was oddly different. "They've taken him, they've taken Mokuba…."

"What?" I asked confused. Then I looked a little more closely. Those eyes….

"Princess Edina!" I said in shock. She was ok! But then….who was….

"You're alright!" Edina's caretaker said sounding so very thankful.

"But Princess," Mai said. "If you're here then who…."

Edina covered her eyes with her hands and slowly began to cry. I slowly knelt down beside her and wrapped my not-so-hit-left arm around her shoulders. "It's all my fault." she sobbed. "Mokuba thought he could go in place of me so we switched clothes. But he was so brave and I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. He said he wanted to see his brother."

"So you let him go as you." I said, now realizing why Mokuba's eyes looked a bit light than normal. They were Edina's this whole time. "So now he's in the castle."

"And it's all my fault." Edina said again.

"Princess, Mokuba's caring. He didn't want you in danger." I said to her, hopefully making her understand that Mokuba wanted to help.

Edina didn't want to stay scared. So she forced herself to nod and stand back to her feet. I brought her over to her caretaker who held the Princess close.

"Well guys," I started, turning to face the rest of the group with my hands on my hips. "We have two Kaibas to save now, so let's get a move on."

"Look!" Joey suddenly exclaimed, looking over the railing and pointing to the ground. Everyone else looked over curiously. Beside the courtyard, there was barren land. And on that barren land, was a white outline of a bird.

"That must have been uncovered by the storm." Mai observed. I looked over at Yugi to wonder why he had gotten quiet. Oh wait….

"That looks a lot like the flying machine from the painting Lady Edina showed us earlier." I said. Then I waved everyone toward the stairs. "Let's go check it out."

* * *

When we reached the little bit of rocky terrain, I found the ruins of houses along the perimeter.

"Looks like an old village." I said, holding my chin with my right hand, the arm showing the now dried up blood from the kunai Strike Ninja threw. "This must have been where Princess Edina's kingdom first started but then they moved it over."

"Nice work, Sherlock." Joey said. I didn't want to glare.

"The ruins look worn." Mai said next and she shot a glare at Joey to stop him from teasing again. "The flying machine might not even be able to start working once we did it up."

"Who knows if it still even works…." Joey muttered, watching a scorpion skittle by. XD

I wrung my brain for an answer, but all I got was to turn back time and let the flying machine be rebuilt-

"How about Joey uses a card." Yugi finally said, after a long while of silence. I knew everyone was still shocked in the back of their minds at what I did. How I knew what was going to happen before it did. And why I risked my life for the kunai to hit my arm instead of my heart, or another vital organ. Well…..I promised Yugi I would tell him, but now wasn't the time, and I was never going to forget that promise. I want him to know, but I also want it to be the right time. So far, everyone's let go of it, but looking into Yugi's eyes, I knew he was still so very curious.

"Huh?" Joey said intelligently, he blinked a couple times for good measure.

Something clicked in the back of my mind again. "Right!" I cried. "You have a card that can help! And if I'm not mistaken, someone special gave that to you!"

"…..Lucky Strike?" he asked, remembering the card I gave him before all this mess even started.

I blushed. "N-no…." I said. "The one someone ELSE…..special to you gave." I'm special?

Suddenly Joey's eyes widened with realization. "Oh!" he cried, ripping a card from his deck. "Time Wizard!"

As if on cue, the Time Wizard clock appeared into the air. He raised his arm into the air and the staff in his hand began spinning….backwards. If he could speed up time, then he cold go back in time too.

Slowly, minute by minute, time went back a hundred years at a time. All the ruins of houses began to form back into what they looked like a thousand years ago. Even the outline of the flying machine became brighter.

When everything was rebuilt, and looking brand new, Time Wizard disappeared. We looked around in awe.

"I wonder if I touch something, it'll just break." I said, eyeing a dirt building to my left. I seem to have done that in magics school when I first began learning. I'd make something out of ice and then when I would touch it, it would shatter. XD

"How are we going to dig up the machine?" Joey asked, ignoring my random remark. But the ground beginning to quake underneath our feet solved our problems.

The outline or a bird now bared a giant crack the size as wide as a truck. All the rock became ragged and began jabbing up in random places. Then something rather large and wooden flew, yes _flew_, out from underneath the ground. It erupted through the ground bringing us on it. When all the dust and rubble finally calmed, we looked at our surroundings.

We were on a gigantic, wooden. The flying machine.

"Our heroes have uncovered the ancient flying machine!" Edina cried in surprise and happiness. Then the villagers all began cheering.

I was the first to start blinking when I saw where I actually landed. On the flying machine. Holy crow…

"Blink….blink…" I said, blinking as if it was casual. Mai hugged, and nearly strangled, Joey behind me.

She shouted, "You did it!" and Joey blushed slightly saying, "Nyah! Get off me!" xD

Then a bright ball of light flew up toward us. It spun around Yugi's head before settling down in his hair.

"Looks like Iru wanted to come too." Yugi said, smiling. I laughed.

The flying machine hovered. Joey finally released the thankful grip of Mai's and quickly made his way to the front of the ship. "I call flying!" he cried, grinning foolishly. He spun the pirate ship-like wheel to the right to send the ship turning to the right. The crowds below us kept cheering as we started heading for the clouds.

* * *

Joey was driving the machine, carefully, to the Dark Castle. Mai stood next to him, on the lookout, while Yugi and I were hanging around in the middle of the ship. After all that excitement, it was good to have a few minutes to at least rest.

I leaned against the railing with the my elbows on it. Yugi came up beside me and when I looked up, his eyes showed questions.

"Why did you do that….back there?" he asked, motioning with his eyes toward the route we just left from the castle. I sighed and looked down at my hands.

Then I looked at the Puzzle. "I had to." I merely said. "I'm supposed to. I can't let anyone get harmed. Just because I said I was the spirit's Guardian, doesn't mean that I can't help you."

Yugi let that sink into his mind, before he asked another question. "So you would risk your life for the spirit? And for us?" he asked.

I nodded. "It's….all part of being a Guardian. The root word is 'guard'. So I have to 'guard' you." I said. I hoped that made sense.

Yugi looked down thoughtfully. "Oh…" he said. "I mean, you're arms' bleeding and all. I was so shocked when you suddenly appeared in front of me."

"It would have hit you hard." I said. "I couldn't let that happen. You're my friend."

The questionable look disappeared from his eyes, and what appeared in them instead was gratitude. "Thanks, Sarah." he said, a smile forming on his lips.

"It's no problem, really." I assured. I repeated the smile.

Suddenly Joey's yell brought us out of our conversation. "Duel Monsters heading our way!" he shouted over to us. I looked over Yugi's shoulder to see hundreds of monsters flying our way.

"Good lord…." I groaned and swung my arms off from the railing. "Ready Yugi?" I asked, looking over to him with my hand on my deck. He nodded and did the same.

"I summon Dimensional Alchemist!"

"I summon Dark Magician!"

Mai held up her own card. "And I summon Harpie Lady!"

Our three monsters flew toward the front of the machine and began attacking the on coming army. There were still a lot of them, but our own warriors destroyed most of them. But when my back was turned, I didn't notice one of the monsters heading straight for my head with its talons outstretched.

"Sarah! Behind you!" It sounded like Yugi who yelled out to grab my attention.

Upon hearing, right when the talons were millimetres from my hair, I quickly turned around and swiped a kunai right through the monster's torso. It gave out one final squawk before materializing.

I swung one of the kunai in my hands and watched Yugi's blinking with a smirk on my face. Then I pocketed it and said, "Thanks man. I never leave the house without these. So it's good to use 'em." Truth was, they came with the armour.

Yugi merely shook his head amused, or thankful I didn't get hurt.

Then it was my turn for my eyes to widen. Another monster decided to try its luck with us humans. A Duel Monster that looked like a half-lion half-bird combination was heading straight for Yugi. It was my turn to shout his name, and before I could even start running at him, the lion-bird took one swing at Yugi and my heart nearly dropped right out of my chest.

Dark Magician came up from behind and destroyed the monster. Then he stood by his summoner in concern. I ran up to him, worried.

"Yugi, are you alright?" I asked in concern. I cursed in my mind for not hurrying.

Yugi kneeled down with his hands held up. My eyes widened when I saw what he was holding.

"Iru…" he said sadly. I felt my own tears start to sting my eyes, but for Yugi, they came and fell down his cheeks. "Iru, no….say something."

The little fairy did its best to give Yugi a smile, but after using the rest of its energy to muster one up, it began to disintegrate, until Yugi was holding air and sadness.

"No." he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "She's been digitized….after taking that hit for me…."

Mai and Joey stood aside, with saddened looks in their eyes. Joey kept steering while Mai looked away.

His empty hands now clenched and his eyes finally letting loose all the tears onto his leather gloved hand. Then Yugi shot up from his kneeling position, shouting, "I've had enough!"

Suddenly, a light from his Millennium Puzzle began to glow and there stood Yami. I kinda took a step back out of hastiness. He had come out all of a sudden….

"Charge ahead, Joey!" he ordered. Joey immediately listened and turned the machine back on course from when the Duel Monsters attacked.

Unexpectedly, the nose of the machine hit an invisible wall, but I was the first to notice what it could have been.

"It's the magical barrier!" I said.

"Don't worry." Yami assured. (When its Yami, I say Yami. Same with Yugi. Unless I say otherwise. XD)

"Right." Joey said now, pushing the machine into the barrier. "Then if this machine holds up to its legend, we'll go right through."

Indeed, after a few moments of the nose of the machine piercing into the barrier, we made it through. I thought we were home free now, but when I saw another band of monsters come this way, I didn't even hesitate to call up my monster.

"Dimensional Alchemist!" I said in a sing song voice. "I need you again man." He appeared beside me in a moment's noticed. When he nodded, he flew off to hunt every monster down. Yami's Dark Magician and Mai's Harpie came up from behind their own summoner and began taking on the assault.

Then came Yami's call again, but this one, I didn't really have enough time to react to.

I was standing right by the railing, watching my Dimensional Alchemist fight his way through everything, when Yami called my name.

"Sarah!" he yelled. "Watch out!"

I didn't have enough time to grab a kunai from my pocket. I only got to turn around and see my attacker. The giant half-bird half-lion combo came back and this time, it succeeded on its attack. I let out a scream as its talons ripped at my collarbone. In a sudden attempt to get away, I took a step back, but the railing hit my hip and I went over it, sending myself completely off the machine.

Everybody yelled my name this time and when Yami ran over to the railing in an attempt to catch my fingers, mine merely brushed his. The only thing I could do was watch the machine getting smaller and smaller and Yami's terrified face at what just happened.

Unbeknownst to me and the group right now, my Locket was lying on the floor of the machine.

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Author's Note:

ACK! I killed you! Nah…we'll see. XD Until next time. Reviews are appreciated!

By the way….do you guys have your fingers crossed? Because maybe I WILL be able to finish this part of the season! Wouldn't that be cool? HELLS YEAH! That'd be a huge accomplishment for me! But we'll see….because now…I have a busy Thursday.

-.- All the best for luck! xD


	34. Lost for Words

**Author's Note: **O_O Oh boy….somebody screamed. What's gonna happen here? And what if Sarah can't keep balance? (You'll find out what the hell I'm talkin' about in this chapter.) Happy reading! ^^

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

SUMMER'S HERE BABY! OH YEAH! lol. And I will hopefully be able to get a whole lot done. XD Thank you for everyone's support! ^^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**

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**Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 33**

Yami punched the railing with his fist. The tears Yugi had from before began falling again, leaving streaks down his cheeks.

"No…" he whispered once again, looking down over the railing from where Sarah fell. He raised a hand to his face. "I almost had her!"

Joey walked up to his buddy in hopes of soothing him while Mai took over the wheel. His eyes were sullen and Mai didn't look too happy to be driving the ancient machine.

"Hey man," Joey whispered, putting his arm around his friend's shoulders. "There's probably a way to get her back, and we'll find it. Sarah's a strong girl, she wouldn't want us to start breaking down."

Yami wiped the tears off from his eyes with his gloved hands and nodded. "You're right." he sighed, helplessly, but he still didn't want her gone.

Yami knew he had a point. There wasn't anything they can do to bring her back right now, but he wished so badly she didn't have to fall. If only there was a way to know if she was still alright, maybe then he would live it down, somewhat.

Then something caught his eye. He turned around to find something shimmering on the wooden floor. Even under the dense clouds, it still glowed.

"Wait, what's this?" Yami asked as he bent down to pick up the object. As his fingers were just about to touch it, an image flashed through his eyes. He jumped back. One moment the image was there, the other it was gone. He didn't even remember it anymore.

Joey bent down next to try and pick it up, but he didn't jump when he touched it. As he was looking it over, his eyes started to widen in excitement.

"This is Sarah's Locket!" he cried happily. "It didn't digitize, maybe she's ok!"

Hope rose into the air once more and Yami felt his heart soar. He moved a bit closer to Joey's side to see it better. It was the first time he'd ever seen it up close, and the design on it seemed….so familiar.

Joey held out the Locket for him to take it. Yami hesitated before taking the chain between his fingers. Nothing flashed before his eyes. Joey gave Yami a pat on the shoulder before heading over to the front of the machine. Yami was left staring at the necklace in his hands.

The shape of the heart Locket was something he'd been able to see whenever Sarah wore it, but he always thought it was plain gold. That there was no design on it. But now, as he looked it over carefully, he saw the Eye of Ra in the centre of an outlined box. His eyes widened in shock.

"She's from Egypt too…" he realized. What if she held all his memories? All the memories he's lost? What if she's connected to his past?

"I wonder who she really is…." he turned the Locket over in his hands to see the back of it. Along the edges were words too small for him to decipher. They were running along the perimeter of it. There were so many questions suddenly haunting him, he didn't know whether to be glad that Sarah was connected to all of this or scared at the fact that the Locket might digitize any second. Yami gave it one final look before putting it into the pocket of his armour.

They were getting closer to the castle now. It sent waves of shivers down everyone's spines. Joey steered the machine in.

Suddenly there was a roar coming from the entrance to the castle. Joey steered the machine away just in time to miss a beam of flame from another monster in their way. This one was guarding the entrance.

"It's a Salamandra!" Mai cried. "How do we get rid of that? It's a magic made monster!" (Salamandra is actually a magic card. So the castle's guarded by a dragon made by the fire of Salamandra. XD)

The attack from the Salamandra didn't miss the flying machine entirely. It grazed one of its wings, setting the whole thing ablaze in a matter of seconds. Soon, the fire began making its way toward the group of three.

Yami thought quickly and summoned Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress and the three of them hopped onto its back and made it out of that fiery wooden mass. The flying machine was sent spiralling into the dark abyss below. Joey and Mai were very thankful for Yami's fast thinking.

But then the Salamandra prepared for another assault. It opened its mouth, ready for another attack when there was a cry from somewhere above.

This cry answered Mai's previous question. Deep within the clouds above came a large shadow and the creature it belonged to came next. Everyone looked up in utter shock as it dived right at the opposing monster that was ready to give one more attack.

* * *

I tried to reach the railing, just as I fell over it, but my fingers barely even touched Yami's when he tried reaching for me. I let out a final, terrified scream before plummeting down.

The machine began getting smaller and smaller and I was beginning to think that maybe this was the end of me in the game.

'No.' I said strongly into my mind. I pushed the opposing thought away and tried focusing on the fact that I was falling. Really fast. Into the middle of nowhere.

'I can't give up because of some stupid bird knocking me off the machine!' I yelled, despite the fact that I could think in this situation. My vision was spinning as I kept falling. I wish I could fly so I could stop my head from hurting…

Wait…that's it! I CAN fly! Without even wasting another second, maybe I would reach the end of the barrier soon, I pulled a card off from the top of my deck. The air around me threatened to rip the card out from my hands but I quickly said its name before I could lose my last chance.

"Phoenix!" I cried. "I summon you!"

A brilliant golden light emitted from within my card and it spread around me like flames. The light soon became solid and I felt soft, vibrant red feathers between my fingers. I opened my closed eyes to find the back of a familiar looking bird's neck.

"Hey there." I said softly. I was sitting on the back of a Phoenix. One of my strongest monsters. (If you can't see a phoenix of any kind in your mind, just imagine the picture of a phoenix from the 5th Harry Potter book by J. K. Rowling. XD) I stroked it's back in a welcoming gesture as it sent a cry into the sky. It wasn't a rough sound, it sounded like a mythical creature giving its final words. The melody was soft and pure, but not depressing.

It flew higher and higher into the sky, soon getting away from the danger of the magical barrier that I would've probably hit if I kept falling. Phoenix took me right up into the clouds, but I had to tell it to stop.

"My friends and I were going to the Castle of Dark Illusions." I started to explain. "Until I fell over. Can you please bring me back to them? That would mean a lot."

My friend nodded its head slightly before taking off into the direction of the ancient machine, but I saw it in flames, heading for the ground far below from where they were now. I wondered what happened, but the predicament of my friends caught my attention.

As we neared, I saw the distress my friends were in. It looked like a dragon that was attached to the castle's walls. Its scales were on fire and it used that same element to shoot at my friends. "They're trying to fight a Salamandra?" I asked incredulously. A magic card? Kaiba's such a sneak!

"Let's help 'em out." I said to Phoenix. He gave out a mighty caw and began diving into the dragon. Its nosedive was a special trick used in aerial attacks. It came In handy, especially when needed now.

It dived head on to the dragon. It was supposed to lure it into wasting its energy in an attack, and just as planned, it happened. Soon, Salamandra shot a bullet into the air. Phoenix swiftly dodged it by directing his dive to the right, just as the attack went by us. Then quickly dug into my leather pouch for a kunai and thrust it right through the dragon's neck. It let out a hiss of pain and vanished into thin air.

"Yeah!" I whooped, throwing my arms into the air as Phoenix did a loop around the area we defeated the Salamandra. Then I ruffled his feathers a bit and nuzzled my cheek into them. "Thank you." I whispered. A low rumble in response came from deep within his throat. I rustled my fingers through his feathers once more before he began descending toward the castle's entrance.

The ancient flying machine was long gone, but the Joey, Mai, and Yami were now on the castle grounds. There was a forest put in between the entrance and the doors to the castle rooms. When Phoenix flew me over to where my friends stood gaping at the sight of us, he touched down onto the grass a few feet beside them, flapping his wings to make soft impact. I skilfully slid down his back and landed right in front of the gang. I gave Phoenix one long look before giving him a slight nod. In a flash of light, he disappeared and his card came back onto my deck.

"Hey guys." I said, grinning like a fool. The three stood in utter shock and disbelief at the fact that I was standing right in front of them. Their mouths were slightly ajar and their eyes were widened to the brink of not being able to blink again.

"Sarah! You're alive!" Joey was the first to recover. The blond rushed toward me and swept me into a hug. I was almost lifted off the ground.

"Of-course-I-am!" I managed to choke under his grip. He quickly let go, thinking I would suffocate. I bent over, trying to catch the sudden breath I lost.

"S-sorry." he said sheepishly. Mai pushed past him and gave me a one armed hug.

"Man, you really appeared out of nowhere, Sarah." she said. I laughed, rubbing my neck in embarrassment.

"Uh yeah." I said, looking over the group. "I didn't want to go down that easily. Plus I wanna see what this world has next!" I punched an arm into the air for enthusiasm.

"Wow…you really are strong." Joey chuckled. Then he pointed a thumb toward Yami. "I mean, we all knew you were capable of taking care of yourself."

I could tell Joey wanted me to go talk to him. Why didn't he come out and say it? Why be so secretive about it? I didn't understand but I nodded, nonetheless.

"Thanks, guys." I smiled. "For the Faith."

Joey patted my shoulder and shrugged. "Nah….we just wanted you back." I squinted my eyes at him for a moment before smiling widely.

"You missed me, Joey?" I asked, grinning foolishly again. The blond merely blinked before blushing idiotically.

"No, no!" He protested, waving his hands in front of him. "It wasn't me!"

I quirked an eyebrow and then slowly looked over his side to see Yami finally joining the group after my arrival. My shoulders jumped a bit in surprise. Did Yami miss me? Why? …Had he figured out who I was?

"D-did you miss me? Yugi?" I asked, eyes wide and blinking. Joey pointed to Mai and then off to the right. She complied and quietly stalked off, the both of them giving us room.

Yami didn't show his real emotions. He kept his usual composure. But I could read his eyes. I don't know if anyone had ever noticed or not, but whenever Yami changed positions with Yugi, his eyes would change too. So whenever it was Yugi, they'd be amethyst while whenever it was Yami, they'd be a crimson colour. A beautiful….crimson…

Holy shit Sarah, get a hold of yourself.

And right now, I managed to see those eyes showing sorrow. But….I couldn't really understand why.

"I was scared…when you fell over." he said, finally, his eyes shining with sadness, which I could see clearly now. "I thought we'd lost you."

I gave him a small smile. "I know even if I didn't come back, that you guys would beat the game." I said. "I wouldn't have been lost forever."

Yami's eyes now changed to confusion. "How do you know?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I had Faith." I said. Deep down, I always have Faith for you, Yami. You just don't really know right now. "I knew that even if I…..digitized, that you, Joey, Mai, Mokuba and Kaiba would have been able to win the game and restore me and Iru." I shook my head mentally. I'm nothing to you though….why would you miss me?

Yami's eyes softened. "So you really trust us?" he asked.

I nodded. "Without a doubt."

"And I trust you." he said, and his eyes changed emotion again, just like pages in a book. "Do you mind if you answer a question of mine?"

I blinked curiously. "Go on." I said.

Yami dug into his pockets and pulled out a golden chain. Much like my own Locket. But….wait….when he pulled out the whole thing and held it out for me to see, I saw the familiar Eye of Ra staring right at me.

My stomach dropped about 20 stories below the surface I was standing on.

I nearly _lost_ it? My Millennium Locket was almost gone! How the hell was I so clumsy!

"I found this on the floor of the machine." he explained. I turned my wide eyes to give him a long, thoughtful look. "When it didn't materialize, we knew you were still alive."

My hands flew up to my neck. That was no lie. It _was_ my Locket. I would never live this down. If I had lost it, I don't know what I would've done. I'd be in a coma from shock.

"Th-thank you." I said, without thinking of anything else to say, that's all I _could_ say. "Oh my god. Thank you so much Yugi."

I felt so god damn stupid, staring at the object in Yami's hand, that I barely felt him take my own hand and place the Locket into it. "But Sarah." he said. "My question, can you answer it?"

My breath hitched. I had a horrible gut feeling that he was going to ask something about my Locket. I gave him a nod, ready for impact.

Then he held my shoulder and bent down closer to my ear. My breath caught in my throat again as he whispered those dreaded words:

"Why does your Locket have the same symbol as my Millennium Puzzle?"

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Author's Note:

AHHHH! Holy smokes! Lol. Thanks for reading! I hope you liked that chapter! Reviews are appreciated! X3 muahaha. I left you in suspense. xD 


	35. Playing Defender for the First Time

**Author's Note: **O_O Oh boy….what did I DO to you guys back there eh? XD Muahaha. Lol. Sorry. But I really, really, REALLY hope you like this last chapter. This is my last one up before I go and I hope its good. Thanks so much for reading and I wish you guys a good summer. When I come back, I'mma start on the last bit of the first season, and then its off to-BATTLE CITY! WOOT! Until next time guys! BYE! ^^

**REMINDERS:** Just lettin' ya know that I'm not gonna be here from July 16 to August 24. I'm really sorry, but I miss my cousins. When I come back, I promise to write as much as I can. Thanks. :)

SUMMER'S HERE BABY! OH YEAH! lol. And I will hopefully be able to get a whole lot done. XD Thank you for everyone's support! ^^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!.** Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**

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Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad Chapter 34**

I expected Yami's eyes to be full of anger. Anger because of me not telling who I really was from the beginning. But they shown something else. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but I know it wasn't good. It was a mix between sadness and hurt.

My stomach quenched as his grip tightened on my shoulder. I couldn't stare back at him. The aching look in his eyes….I couldn't take it.

"Sarah, please." he insisted when I didn't say anything. "You have to tell me. I know you know something that I don't."

"It's true." I croaked, barely able to keep a hold of myself. "But….I can't tell you. At least not now."

"But you said you'll answer my question." he almost pleaded. I bit my lip to stop me from crying and lightly held his hand that was still on my arm.

"I'm sorry." I said, shaking my head. "But I have to tell you in time. Right now, in the middle of this…it's too dangerous." Plus, how would you even react?

I knew Yami didn't like that idea. He thought over what I said in his mind and gave me a long, rueful look. I brought my gaze up from the floor.

"I promise I'll tell you everything, Yami." I said, forcing myself to get rid of the tears that were threatening to rid themselves from my eyes. I sent the conscience-stricken feeling to the depths of my mind and stared Yami right in the eye.

As known, Yami's eyes widened in surprise. His grip on my arm fell.

"You know who I am." He half asked. The other half was realization.

I nodded. "I knew who you were from the moment I saw the Millennium Puzzle. And when you dueled against Pegasus for the first time, I knew that was you too."

Yami shook his head entirely confused. "Then why didn't you say anything?" he asked.

….That was a good question….

Too bad I have a good answer.

"Because Yugi didn't know there was someone else in the Millennium Puzzle until he found himself feeling different during duels." I explained. "It wouldn't have been easy to tell anyone anything right when I met you guys. It would never have made sense.

"Plus when the bond between you and Yugi grows, the both of you become stronger yourselves." I explained further. "The belief between the two of you needs to develop and it's a powerful virtue."

Yami blinked slowly at me. "You haven't been this formal before." he suddenly said.

I gave him a small shrug. "That statement is something I'm used to." I said back.

Yami merely blinked again. Then he sighed in confusion again and nodded. "I understand." he said. "About…what you said before. My bond with Yugi needs to grow in order for you to tell me anything?"

And our bond…but I nodded without saying it. "Yes." I said. Maybe I should tell him? No…not yet…. "The two of you need to get to know each other before I can tell you anything else."

"But you're still related to my past." he pressed. "Surely you can at least tell me who you are, right?"

I looked down, which made Yami's eyes sadden again.

"I'm sorry." I murmured. "But I can tell you one thing." I brought my gaze up to see Yami's eyes changed into an anticipation like state.

"I'll help you no matter what." I said. "I'd risk my life for you if I could." That's a hint after all…

Yami reached out a hand. "Wait, you don't-"

"Guys!" Mai suddenly shouted, sprinting her way back towards us. We looked up in time to find her stop. "There's a bunch of Killer Needles swarming around the castle gates! Joey's trying his best to stall but we need your help!"

I glanced to Yami through the corner of my eye. I saw him nod and we began sprinting back to where our friend was battling.

Joey had a brilliant strategy going on. He used his Flame Swordsman to attack the oncoming Killer Needles with the magic card Salamandra; the same dragon that was based with this substance from before and the same card Yugi gave to Joey on the boat to Duelist Kingdom. By the time we got to where he was standing, he was already annihilating half the swarm.

"I don't think I'll get all of 'em in time though." Joey said over his shoulder. I nodded and took one card off my deck.

"Phoenix!" I cried. "One more time! Help me out!" The beautiful bird emerged back into the air in front of me. I sheepishly grinned, holding up my pointer finger. "One more time?" I asked. "Please?"

The bird nodded its elegant neck before blowing a plume of fire at the remaining Killer Needles. They blew into flames and began falling, one by one, to the ground of a tree they were flying over to get here. Then Mai noticed something.

"That fire's disturbing the cocoons hanging on the tree, guys." she said tentatively. The monsters we just destroyed began spreading the fire all around the tree, making the cocoons move. Next, they began opening.

"Great Moths?" I yelled into the sky as the newly born monsters began flying into it. "Kaiba you-"

One Great Moth sent a wave of poison right at me. I rolled out of the way just in time.

"Oops…" I murmured under my breath.

"Watch what you're doing!" Joey yelled accusingly at me.

"Anybody got any ideas?" I asked to the others, ignoring the blonde. Yami drew from his deck and took out two cards.

"I summon Kuriboh!" The cute, little, brown fur ball appeared onto the field beside Yami. Its cute little eyes focused in determination. "I also play the magic card, Multiply!"

One Kuriboh, turned into a thousand by the second. Soon there was a wall of Kuribohs between the Great Moths and us. I shot a childish face at them.

"What are you, 2?" Joey spat. I glared.

The Kuribohs continued their assault by going to each Great Moth and just attaching themselves to 'em. In about a minute, the moths began blowing up.

I jumped back and nearly tripped.

"Oh right!" Joey exclaimed. "Kuribohs self destruct on enemy monsters!"

Mai nodded, giving me a worried look. "Yeah. They do Joey. So, let's head on into the castle, shall we? Good strategy, Yugi."

Yami gave Mai slight tilt of his head and then returned his gaze onto me. I guess he couldn't get over what I told them. See, it would have been a lot wose than this if I told them the minute I told everyone.

Everyone began heading into the direction of the castle, while I pulled monster back into its card. "Thanks Phoenix." I said under my breath before running after the others.

* * *

We just pushed open the double front doors to the castle when I lost my footing and fell to my face on the floor. Joey began laughing his ass off.

I put my chin in my hand and began drumming my fingers on top of the marble floor as Joey kept laughing now holding his stomach. An anime anger mark pounded on my head.

"Baka blonde…" I muttered. Mai held Joey back so he couldn't kick me in the stomach. XD

"So…how do we find Kaiba in this building?" I asked, hopping to my feet. Joey seemed to calm down long enough to start breathing again.

"Kaiba!" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Are you in here?"

I crossed my arms and looked around. The castle seemed to only consist of one large room and this one itself was very intricately designed. White pillars rose from the ground to touch the blue, arched ceiling. In the center of the room, the ceiling arched the highest.

All of a sudden, there was a deep roar that seemed to have come from above the room. We all looked up and jumped in surprise when a familiar dragon's head appeared into the room from the ceiling.

"It's a Blue-Eyes." Yami said in a bit of shock. I thought that maybe Kaiba had put a Blue-Eyes White Dragon into the game to challenge the players. So I stood in front of Yami and held my arms up in battle stance. Before he could say anything to oppose, the dragon fully emerged and landed in the centre of the room, facing us with its teeth bared. I thought it would attack, but two familiar looking figures jumped in after it; one tall and slim, and the other short and not in a princess outfit anymore.

"Kaiba! Mokuba!" I called out astonished. The two boys glanced our way and I could immediately feel Kaiba's glare.

"Hey, you're alright!" Joey exclaimed. "We've been worried."

Kaiba scoffed merely at the blond. "I don't need someone in a caveman costume to worry about me." He said smoothly.

"Are you two alright?" I asked despite the death glares Joey gave Kaiba.

The brunette seemed a little surprised to see me and when he saw Yami, same expression. "What are you doing here?" he asked in monotone.

"We came to help you." Yami said, taking a step beside me. Somehow I noticed that we stood at equal height. O.O (Not including his hair by the way…..for you literal people. xDDD)

Kaiba gritted his teeth. "I didn't need your help." He growled. "I could have gotten out on my own."

"Now you shouldn't lie, Mr. Kaiba." A voice from literally out of nowhere said. We scanned our eyes around the room to see where it came from, but we couldn't find the source.

Suddenly a dark portal opened in the middle of the air. It swirled around like it was trying to welcome us in.

"Everyone knows that if your friends weren't here to help you, you would've been an offering to the Mythic Dragon." that same voice from before cackled. "But even if they had saved you, the dragon would have still risen."

Kaiba raised a clenched fist at the portal, from where the voice was coming from. "Now wait just a minute!" he yelled. "No one was offered to the Mythic Dragon. Therefore it's not summoned!"

There was another evil cackle, this one echoed oddly off the walls of the castle room. "It's nice what you can accomplish with a little reprogramming…"

Suddenly, everything went black, as if that portal had grown to swallow us whole in that mere moment. Then when everything came to, our surroundings looked like something from out of a computer chip. I looked around hastily and took a cautious step forward to be a little ways in front of Yami. He glanced over.

"What's going on?" Mokuba asked, looking around and clinging to Kaiba's trench coat.

Kaiba bared his teeth. "They're going to summon the dragon without official sacrifice!"

There was a large shadow, looming over the field entirely now. The dragon was huge. It had 5 heads, and each one looked to be a different element.

Ah! How are we supposed to beat that thing?" Joey asked incredulously.

Mai held up her Duel Monster card. "With monsters, no duh! Harpie's Lady!" Mai's Harpy appeared onto the field in front of her, but when she touched the ground, purple and black electrical waves shot from the ground and encased the Harpy. She screeched in pain.

"Wh-what's happening?" Mai asked horrified, staring at her Harpy withering away into pixels.

The man chuckled again. "Do you see the seal under your feet?" he asked. Now that everyone looked down, we saw a glowing picture of the Lord of Dragons. It seemed to be making some sort of shield to block certain monsters away.

"That seal prevents every other monster except dragons to take part in this battle." The old man said, amusement clearly heard from his voice.

Kaiba first smirked, then he began chuckling, then he started laughing. "You dare to challenge me with a Battle of Dragons?" he asked, clearly thinking this was a joke. Then he drew three cards from his deck and summoned them to the field.

"Big mistake." he said. His three Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared right onto the field, taking positions in front of their master. Kaiba raised a hand toward their opponent. "Now face the wrath of these Blue-Eyes you scum!"

Mai shrugged. "Fine by me." She said. "I summon Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

Joey grinned, "I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Yami was next, "I summon Curse of Dragon!"

Once everyone's dragon took part in the battle, I realized one very important thing…

"GAH! I don't own any dragons!" I cried, holding my head in anguish. The old man chuckled again.

But I turned to face Kaiba with a whole new attitude and a smirk playing on my lips. "Kaiba, does a Phoenix count?"

Kaiba rose a brow in confusion before he smirked. "You have one? That's incredible. They're some of the rarest cards." Then he held his chin in his hand, casually as if nothing was going on and this was just a normal business type meeting, and finally said, "Yes. I think they would work here."

I raised a hand to the air. "Ready or not then everyone." I challenged. "Phoenix? Come help me out one last time!"

_You can ask for help any time, it doesn't bother me. I'm glad to help._

…but you're sleeping…..

_*anime fall*_ (lol. Just a conversation between card and card holder. XDDD)

The great bird's silhouette appeared onto the field in front of me. He cawed one time to signal being ready.

"Now feel the wrath of all our monsters!" Yami said to the invisible controller of the Mythic Dragon, but he merely chortled in amusement again.

"That's fascinating." He said, then his voice turned relatively sly. "But one of you doesn't have a monster to protect them. Anyone guess who?"

Kaiba turned around abruptly to face his trembling brother. "Mokuba…"

"Say good bye, former sir!" One of the mouths of the dragon blew a stream of electricity toward Mokuba. The elder quickly wrapped his arms around the younger and waited for impact, but it never came.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon! Take the hit!" came Mai's voice and the dragon she had summoned did just that. In time to the blast, it quickly shielded the Kaiba brothers and immediately began disintegrating into a plume of smoke.

"Mai! No!" Joey yelled, outraged. Her life point counter dropped to zero, and Mai fell to her knees. I fell into place beside her and held her shoulders.

"I can't go on." She choked. I shook my head.

"No Mai. Don't say that." I said, containing my tears.

But it was too late. Mai slowly began digitizing and soon, she was pixel dust in our finger tips.

Joey fell to his own knees and stared at the spot Mai once was, his eyes wide. "No…..she can't be gone."

"This has gone far enough!" Yami yelled toward the Mythic Dragon. "Stop this now!"

"But we're just enjoying the fun!" he cackled once again. "And besides, none of your monsters come even close to the velocity of our beast!"

Kaiba glanced to Yami and he did the same. Something clicked.

"I got an idea." Yami said, turning to face the rest. "I'll summon one of my other monsters—"

"—And I'll cover you." I quickly interrupted. Yami gave me a hard look and shook his head.

"There's not a chance neither you nor Joey will cover for us." He said. "We'll think of something."

Stubborn…little…

"Alright." I said. Joey gave me an incredulous look but I held up a hand signalling him that it's alright.

Yami nodded. "Good." He said. "Now then, let's put this move into play."

We broke our little huddle and began standing side by side again. Yami drew his card and began summoning it. "Black Luster Soldier! We need your assistance!"

I knew that at that exact moment the man would start attacking with his Mythic Dragon. Right when Black Luster Soldier appeared onto the field, the same purple and black electrical waves that encased Harpie's Lady was sent through him, a pain shocking surge that kept him paralysed.

"You forgot about the seal already?" the old geezer chortled. "Mythic Dragon, destroy his defenceless monster!"

The dragon complied and one of its heads opened its mouth to send a shock wave that would split Yami's monster open.

I couldn't take it. I know Yami didn't have a plan. Even if he did it was too much pressure.

"Phoenix! I order you to take the blast for him!"

"Sarah! Don't—"

But it was oh so too late. Phoenix was already in front of the crippled Soldier and as the attack pierced through him and sent my life point counter to zero, I fell to my knees knowing I did what I had to.

"Sarah!" Yami hollered before landing on his knees next to me. Joey held my other shoulder as I suddenly grew very weak. I fell to all fours by that time.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, my voice cracking and tears of pain rushed out of my eyes. It felt as though my mind was splitting into millions of pieces, but my body was sharing the pain so it was all over.

I turned to face Yami, feeling so guilty to have disobeyed him, but I couldn't let him lose.

"Fool…" Kaiba said, watching the scene.

"I'm sorry." I said again. I felt my feet and legs beginning to get lighter…I think I was digitizing.

"But why…" Yami couldn't get his mind around the fact. That's because he didn't understand the whole story.

"I-always-have-Faith." I said, now my shoulders were going. I couldn't breathe anymore to say the last part, but I forced myself to say it.

"My-Pharoah."

* * *

I didn't know where I was. Last thing I remember….was the look in Yami's eyes. Utter confusion, disagreement, sadness….the list didn't want to end. But I knew that of Yami had lost, then no one had a chance. He and Kaiba had a chance and Joey could've helped with his own methods. I knew it was going to work because…of the last thing I said to Yami.

He wanted to summon the Dragon Master Knight by fusing Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and his own Luster Soldier. Joey could've increased their attack points with Dragon Nails, which could've won them the duel. But sitting here in this black emptiness….it didn't feel like anything was about to happen any time soon.

Just as things were beginning to get hazy for me, I found myself opening my eyes to see the sky above me. It greeted me with its cheerfulness and I wanted to yell so badly, why are you cheerful? Yami, Kaiba, and Joey haven't won the duel yet. And knowing the elder Kaiba, he wouldn't have let his younger brother get anywhere near the place I just visited. He cared too much. Kind of makes me want to yearn for my own family.

My hearing was just as bad as my understanding. When a familiar looking face appeared into my vision, did I fully begin to understand what might've happened.

It was Yami. He was wearing a mask full of concern and worry as he loomed over me, shadows covering his face, but I could see those pretty red eyes and I knew it was real.

"…Sarah. Are you alright?" It sounded like Yami's voice. Well of course, if I see Yami I'm pretty sure he's going to be the one who's talking. I was so tempted to just reach up to see if he was real.

"I think she's out man." Another voice said from my right. I couldn't move my head to see, somehow I felt weak.

"Y-Yugi?" I asked, my voice hoarse. His eyes widened and a small, relieved smile spread across his face.

"Yes, it's me." He said. "Are you alright?"

"Mmm...I think so..." It took me a few minutes to regain full consciousness and begin to feel my body move again. Soon, I was sitting up with Yami holding my arm and shoulders for balance. Slowly, he helped me to my feet. We were back at the castle's terrace. People of the kingdom Lady Edina governed were cheering with joy and excitement.

"What happened?" Someone asked from behind me. I saw Joey helping Mai up from her own adventure.

"You guys beat them." I said, a smile starting to form on my face. Yami looked to me.

"Your Faith kept our spirits high." He said softly. My smile stayed.

"That's cool that they came in handy." I said. Yami chuckled. The first time I saw him laugh like that. It sounded nice.

"We'd better get going." Kaiba said, leading Mokuba toward a portal I hadn't seen appear. Mokuba turned around, just as his brother walked through.

"He thanks you Princess." He said, facing a Mystical Elf who I now realized was Princess Edina. Her eyes were the same as hers.

"Of course." She nodded. Then she turned to the four of us. "Same to you. Have a safe journey back."

"Thank you." I said. Then I forced myself to bow in order to show my respect and gratitude. She waved to our backs as we left through the portal, finally heading home after what seemed like Hell.

XXXX

When I came through, I found the door to my pod opening. I glanced around and saw that I was back in the room all this started in. The same room Kaiba's pod was in.

Speaking of Kaiba, he was standing a little ways away from my left. When I picked up my deck and put it back into my thigh sheathe, I slowly tried getting out of the prototype. I almost tripped, but Kaiba caught my arm.

"Easy." He whispered and helped me straight up. "That was some stunt you pulled back there."

I held my head and made the room stop spinning. "Thanks." I said clumsily. "It felt like a good time to shield."

"And it helped us." He said. "I hate to admit it, but if you hadn't done what you did, then we wouldn't even be back here."

I shrugged, feeling my energy coming back. "What are friends for?" I smirked. He gave me one in return.

Then I motioned towards the doors. "Shouldn't you be firing a bunch of assholes who put us in danger?" I asked, raising a brow in question. Kaiba merely smirked.

"You're right." He said. "Again." Then he gave me a quick nod before walking briskly out the door, his trench coat following him.

I smiled to myself and began heading back to the rest of the gang. When I was outside, the rain had stopped and it was now a bright and sunny day. I found the rest of the gang at the gates to the area. Mokuba had gone up to help his brother out in the Kaiba Corp. main building while everyone came over here to meet me.

Yugi gave me a small smile which I returned. I felt the familiar warmth my Locket gives off hit my neck and fill me whole. Life would be a little bit different after this experience. I wondered if I could keep up in time to tell Yami everything.

**

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Author's Note:** *crying her ass off* AHK! I'M DONE THIS PART OF THE SEASON! I really, really, REALLY hope you enjoyed Legendary Heroes-A Virtual Gaming World Gone Bad! I really liked writing this one! Reviews are appreciated! ^^

Now it's time for me to say those dreaded words. Good bye everyone. I am going overseas now first thing tomorrow. It's going take three days to get there, but hopefully it'll all be worth it. Thanks so much for reading, and I'll see you all when I get back, which will be August 24. Thanks so much for all your awesome reviews. They've helped me get the extra boost I needed in order to keep going to complete at least this little bit. Thanks everyone! There's not enough thank yous I can say to say my gratitude. I hope you liked it and when I come back, please don't stop following my updates, because more of Sarah Wind and Yu-Gi-Oh! will come! SEE YOU ALL! ^^ I'm gonna miss you! :) Enjoy summer!

And I would also like to thank and give credit to **BethxAngel** from **Quizilla** for her awesome idea in the middle of Sarah's defence. Thanks so much! ^^ Thank you all of you too! :)


	36. New Game Shop

**Author's Note: **HEY GUYS! I'M BACK! I missed you guys! And now that I'm near a computer again, lol, I CAN UPDATE MY FANFICS! *crowd cheers* lol. XDDD I'm sorry I'm a couple days late, but the plane we had to transfer to in London, England, yeah we kind a missed it because the travel agency didn't give us enough time to get our boarding passes but oh well! I'M HERE NOW, RIGHT? SO LET'S GET THIS STARTED ONCE AGAIN! This is Past Repeating, starting from Dungeon Dice Monsters! Hope you enjoy! And it's great to see everyone again! xD

**YOUR REVIEWS:** When I read everyone's reviews, my heart soared into the sky! I was so happy, I almost cried. Thank you so, so, so much for your wonderful comments. ^^ This is the kind of stamina I need to help me write. Thank you so much. Everyone who added my story into their alerts and favourites list. Also, thanks to those who added me in your favourite authors list and author alert lists. Even if you didn't add me in any list or drop a review, but you read my story, thanks. Just people reading my story is all the boost I need and happiness. Thanks so much everyone. Now…*wipes eyes from sudden crying* …TIME FOR DUNGEON DICE MONSTERS! Hope you like it! ^^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!. **Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**Dungeon Dice Monsters-Freedom and Title on the Line Chapter 35**

"Damn it! Where the Hell is it?" I asked, yelling at the Heavens while I frantically turned my bed over in haste, The comforter and bed sheets were piled near the door to my bathroom, the pillows were thrown into each corner of my room, and my clothes and school books were scattered all over the floor; covering the carpet so much, that I couldn't see it anymore.

"I'm not leaving without it, that's for sure." You see, the thing is, I woke up this late this morning-late meaning half an hour until school-to find that my thigh sheathe was nowhere to be seen. Obviously if it was the sheathe, it wouldn't have made that much of a big deal, but since it had my deck inside…yeah, big deal."

So for the past ten minutes, I've been ripping my bedroom apart trying to find it, but so far…no such luck.

Then…a single, painstaking thought occurred into my mind. Looking around my room now, I wished I had thought of it earlier.

"I would cry…if I was wearing it…right…now…" I slowly bent my head down to take a long, hard look at my legs. And it was there. Attached. Perfectly fine. To my right leg.

I probably forgot to take it off last night.

I stared at the accessory around my leg for a good, long minute. Giving it a death glare that could have killed it if it was real. Then I exhaled slowly and began taking out my uniform from the bottom of the pile of clothes next to me.

"I'm gonna be late for school, there's no way I'm gonna cry now." With that declaration, I threw my clothes on, stuffed my school books into my shoulder bag and pocketed wallet. Thinking I would clean my room after school, I headed out. From no on, I think I should tape a post-it onto my forehead with the words 'Take care of your deck!' after this fiasco.

* * *

I decided that I would go over to Yugi's house and see if we could walk to school together. His house was on the route to Domino High. I kind a made sure of that when I bought the apartment complex. XD

The Game Shop appeared into view as I turned right on a corner. Seeing it ahead, I began running over, just in time to see Yugi, Téa, and Mr. Mutou huddled around outside the door to the shop entrance. Mr. Mutou had a broom in his hand and Yugi and Téa were looking at him in worry. I wonder what's wrong.

"Yo, dudes and dudette!" I shouted, coming up behind all of them in a hyper attitude, totally oblivious to what was happening.

Yugi and Téa jumped and turned around to find me grinning my head off. "Good morning, Sarah." Yugi greeted with a sweat drop. Téa nodded and waved.

"Good morning. How are you. Sarah?" she greeted kindly, yet I could see the amusement in her eyes from

I smiled. These two always made me happy inside whenever I was around them. "I'm pretty good." I nodded. Then I glanced to Mr. Mutou who was still sweeping with his broom in hand. I sidled up to him and said carefully and politely, "Good morning, Mr. Mutou."

He grunted slightly in response and continued brushing the pavement to rid it of dust.

I blinked in confusion and bent next to Yugi's ear and asked quietly, "Is your grandfather all right, Yugi?"

Yugi cupped his hand around his mouth and said into my ear. "He's been down all morning." he whispered back. "I'm getting worried, but I don't know what's wrong." He sighed then, and crossed his arms with confusion and worry written on his face. I arched an eyebrow at Téa but she merely shrugged and I was left blinking idiotically. I hope nothing bad had happened.

Suddenly Mr. Mutou appeared from behind us, shouting, "All right! I'll tell you!" The three of us jumped in surprise and grandpa started his ranting and explanation. "I've endured many things in my life." he started. "I've been trapped in an ancient pyramid, stung by scorpions, and attacked by Tibetan wolves, but nothing compares to this…" I had never known Mr. Mutou did all those things. If only he would tell me his stories! I love action. Not that I haven't been in any in the past…and even now, now that I think about it. XD

Then Mr. Mutou pointed to the next block where we could clearly see a tall pale, yellow coloured building towering high over all the other buildings in the area.

I blinked, not really understanding what Mr. Mutou was pointing at. I nudged both Yugi and Téa who were on either side of me and shrugged. "I don't understand." I said a bit stupidly to them.

Mr. Mutou overheard me and turned to give me a hard look, kind a like the one I was giving my thigh sheathe just a few minutes ago. Thinking of which, I kind of forgot to brush my hair….. XD

"It's a new game shop, Sarah." he said sternly. I blinked again and nervously gulped. I thought I would be grounded by the look grandpa gave me, for being so stupid.

Just to let him know, and to be off the hook, I said, "Ohhhhhhhh! I get it!" Behind me, Yugi and Téa face-palmed.

Mr. Mutou thought I understood, but honestly, I think he was ignoring my dumbness. "They think they can drag me out of business by selling their trendy, new trash." he continued. "They have no respect for the gaming traditions, the true classics, because they sell only the fans of today."

Yugi looked amazed. "Wow, a new game store?" he asked excitedly, taking another look at the building. "I better go check out the competition and see what we're up against!"

It seemed like a pretty good plan to Yugi, but Mr. Mutou didn't think so. "Don't you think about it!" he ordered, scolding his grandson. Téa and I sweat dropped while Yugi jumped about a foot into the air, making his back accidentally hit my chest.

I put a hand onto Yugi's shoulder reassuringly as he blinked and said to Mr. Mutou, "Don't worry, Mr. Mutou. Téa and I will make sure Yugi doesn't go near the game shop!" I grinned at everyone while Yugi blinked once more and Téa rolled her eyes, knowing that it won't happen.

* * *

"Ah…we're screwed…" I muttered incoherently as I crossed my arms and glared at Yugi. He smiled a little innocently as he walked to a stand holding up newspapers and magazines. We were now…regrettably standing in front of the game shop Mr. Mutou specifically told us not to go to. I knew we would be in trouble if he found out where we've been. Even Téa thought it wasn't such a hot idea.

"Yugi." Téa called nervously. "If your grandpa finds out we've been here, we're in trouble."

Yugi walked back with his eyes down on the flyer in his hands. "What's so bad about a little window shopping?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders.

Téa sighed in defeat, knowing that there was no way Yugi would be willing to go to school any time soon. I decided to just play along.

I sidled up next to him and asked childishly, "Whatcha' readin'?"

He held up the flyer. "Something to do with a new game." he replied.

I nodded and curiously took the piece of paper into my own hands. The game seemed popular right now; everyone else around us was holding the exact same flyer and they were looking at it in awe. "Dungeon Dice Monsters?" I said, reading the title. Then I handed the flyer back to Yugi. "Hmm…sounds complex."

Just before any of us could react, or even run away, Téa came up from behind us in surprise and grabbed a hold of Yugi's shoulder bag straps. She began forcefully dragging him into the direction of the school. "I swear if you two make me late for class again…" she said, growling venomously, "I am going to make you do my homework for the rest of the week!"

I sweat dropped and carefully followed behind them both, laughing as we made our way to school.

* * *

"What?" Joey asked incredulously, staring at us with wide eyes. "You mean to tell me that there's a spankin' new game shop?" We had finally reached the school on the verge of being late and were now telling Tristan and Joey what happened.

"Yeah. It just opened up." Yugi said, chin in hand. "And my grandpa's real worried about it."

"They were really trying to hype up this new game." Téa added in. "Something to do with dice and dungeons…"

Another incredulous look from Joey. "You mean to tell me they've got that new Dungeon Dice Monsters?" he asked.

I blinked. Since when did he become such an expert?

Tristan did and said everything I just did. He blinked, then asked curiously, "Since when did you become such an expert?" I anime fell without anyone really noticing.

Joey replied smartly, "It's called the newspaper. Ever heard of it genius?"

Téa and I practically fell to our feet, me for the second time if I did. "What?" we asked, our turn to be disbelieving, "You never read the newspaper!" Joey anime fell this time.

When he was back on his feet, there was a vein throbbing in his head. "Listen." he said, sticking his face into Téa's challengingly, "I don't get one of those allowances. I needed to have a little extra spending money."

Then he turned to Yugi with a smile on his face. "I had to save every penny of the three million dollars Yugi gave me at Duelist Kingdom!"

I cocked my head to one side. "So you deliver newspapers?" I asked.

"I read them when I'm out delivering them, all right?" he glared.

I crossed my arms and said defiantly, "Who knew you could even read…" the whole group began laughing but Joey didn't think it was funny. I hid behind Tristan while Joey slowly stood from his seat. But before he could do anything, Tristan didn't let things get too drastic.

"So man, how _is_ your sister anyway?" he asked, hoping to divert Joey's attention.

Indeed it changed his mind about murdering me, or almost anyway. "Great!" he exclaimed happily. "The doctor said they'll start on the operation soon and the first thing she's going to see is my beautiful mug!" He grinned proudly, after which I thought was a joke.

I muttered something about his last comment but he didn't hear me. Thank god he didn't, or no matter what anyone said, he WAS going to murder me. XD

"Thanks man." Joey said, shaking Yugi's hand for formality. "Thanks for the three million dollars."

Yugi laughed full heartedly. "It wasn't a problem." he said modestly. "Besides." he shrugged. "You needed it."

Joey smiled. It seemed these two would do anything for each other. Sometimes, I would think they were brothers, always looking out for each other. It kind of reminded me of someone else I knew…but I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind. I did NOT want to think about that yet. That blue haired baka from my family picture isn't the subject right now.

"Do you know when the operation will start?" Téa asked Joey. He was about to answer when noise from the classroom beside us interrupted him. Everyone blinked at the door before deciding to go or not. We left to investigate, leaving the current conversation until after school.

Walking through the doors to the classroom, we find a male student sitting at a desk that was surrounded by girls. They were giggling, cheering, and sighing dreamily. What was so fascinating about a guy?

"Jee….that desk sure is important…" I muttered incoherently, squinting my eyes in the direction everyone was staring at.

"I don't think it's the desk, Sarah." Joey said.

The guy everyone was falling head over heels for had black hair put into a ponytail and vibrant green eyes. He was wearing the school uniform, so he wasn't a visitor, and had dice studs in his ears. He also had a handful of red and blue dice on the desk he was sitting at with a cup in hand. He did some fancy moves and spun the dice around inside the cup. Laying it upside on the desktop, he removed to cup to expose the dice all neatly stacked up with the sides matching.

"Uh…." That one word escaped my lips as we stared questioningly toward the mass of students all cluttering and cheering around that one person. Then I asked such an obvious question, "Who's the dude with the dice?"

Yugi looked to where some students were sitting just to our left and asked, "Hey, do you guys know who that is?"

One boy looked up. "Oh yeah." they said. "That's Duke Devlin. He's the owner of that new game shop."

"Oh an he goes to this school?" I asked in mock horror and sarcasm.

Joey raised a clenched fist and growled, "I can't stand guys who would do anything to get a girl's attention." Jee…he's modest…

I lidded my eyes and glared at him curiously. "Aren't you one to talk." Téa said, crossing her arms. Joey anime fell again. XD

That vein in the blonde's head came back and began throbbing all over again. "Listen Téa." he began, again with his explanations, "If I wanted to be popular, I would have crawled down to that guy's level. But I got my self respect. I came second at Duelist Kingdom! Doesn't that show you how much I've learned?"

Yugi put an inviting hand on my shoulder. "But so did Sarah." he said. I blinked innocently.

Joey shrugged. "She lost after me." he claimed simply.

I raised a playful fist into his face and yelled in rage, "We lost at the same time, dimwit!" The rest of the group sweat dropped.

"Excuse me." someone said from behind us. I stopped scolding and turned around to find Mr. Hot-Shot standing up from his crowd ridden desk. The girls watched closely as he walked up to us.

"I'm sorry to overhear," he said, piercing his green eyes into my own amber ones with a kind smile on his face. It was as if he was trying to hypnotize me or something. "But I couldn't help but notice you battling in the game of Duel Monsters."

Joey waved a hand dismissively into the air as if what he said was known all over the world. In a sense, it kind a was because of how big it was… "Listen," Joey seemed to be all city right now… "If you know about Duel Monsters, then you would know all about Bandit Keith, the Intercontinental Champion. The guys was unbeatable! Until I came along and taught him a thing or two…"

I swear…Joey's just SO. MODEST. XD I rolled my eyes while Tristan, Téa, and Yugi sighed in aggravation. Tristan muttered something about Joey being a pain.

Duke didn't look interested until he saw Yugi standing next to Joey and me next to him. Noticing Yugi, he said, "Hey wait. Aren't you Yugi Mutou? Champion of Duelist Kingdom and King of Games?"

Yugi gave him a small smile and nodded. "Uh, yeah that's me." he said.

Joey stuck his head in between the two and cheekily pointed to himself. "Eh dicey." he said, already giving Duke a nickname. "What have you heard about me? Joey Wheeler?"

Duke shifted a bit but a smirk was planted on his face. "Nothing really." he admitted, nonchalantly. "Just the fact that a second-rate duelist tied for second with Sarah Wind-"

Then his eyes automatically fell on mine and he immediately reached out a hand. "Oh wait! She's standing right here! What a pleasure to meet you, Sarah." he said.

I shook his hand politely and smiled. "Nice to meet you, too." I said.

Joey's head filled with a dozen throbbing veins now. Good lord this kid gets angry… "I dare you to call me second-rate again!" he cried, bitterly.

Duke shrugged swiftly. "I won't." he claimed. "Just prove yourself that you're not."

Joey blinked. "huh?" How do you want me to do that?" he asked.

From the desk he previously sat at, Duke brought back a dice and cup. "these are everything we need." he said. "Are your talents up to the challenge?" I didn't understand what Duke can do with a dice and a cup but Joey didn't seem to back down. He seemed ready to prove himself.

He cracked his knuckles and with a smirk. "Bring it." he said. By the look on Duke's face, I didn't get a good feeling about this…

With his own smirk, Duke placed the dice onto a nearby desk and covered it with the cup. Then he held out his hands and said, "Using the power of my mind, I bet I can move the dice into my right hand without touching the cup." We looked at him like he was crazy. Even Joey blinked.

"Next thing you'll be saying is you can fly around the room." Joey muttered. (**Author's Note: **I absolutely LOVE this line! I use it all the time. XD ^^' Kazuki Takahashi and Joey Wheeler tribute. XDDD) "Unless you've got telekinesis, there's no way you can do what you say."

Duke shrugged. "Perhaps it's already gone." he said.

"What?" retaliated Joey. We were all shocked at his words. Can he really do that?

Duke put his hand in his hair and closed his eyes. "For your moral comprehension, why don't you just look under the cup?"

Joey began muttering something to do with Duke being a 'wise ass' just as he was about to reach for the cup. With that sick feeling of something bad going to happen still in my stomach, I foreshadowed what could happen quickly in my mind of what would happen after that cup was raised. Then a horrible thought came into mind. Without knowing, both Yugi and I shouted at the same time, "Joey, don't! It' s a trap-"

But it was too late. Joey already had the cup in his hands and was taking it off the desk to see that the dice was still there. Untouched.

"I'll take that." Down came Duke's right hand, picking up the dice with his slender fingers and holding it up for everyone to see. "You see?" he implied. "I moved the dice into my right hand without ever having to touch the cup. Therefore, I win." His fans, who were watching him intently cheered for their idol's win. That was such a cheap trick!

Joey didn't look happy either. His clenched fists and gritted teeth told me he wasn't going to let this go. "Grr…enough with this!" he yelled in, outraged for being so fooled so easily. "Why Don't you play a real game? In fact, I challenge you to a game of Duel Monsters!"

What was he thinking, I yelled in thought. He was getting in over his head. Duke held his chin in his hand thoughtfully before answering. Then he shrugged his shoulders elegantly and said, "Fine by me. But I do have a condition." The group and I watched with slitted eyes as the girls behind Duke began muttering amongst each other, wondering what was wrong. "I'm afraid I don't have a deck of my own." he sighed, finishing his drama. As expected, the girls began protesting about it being unfair. Being his little fan club, the stand behind him for all the positives about him but start getting angry and disagreeing for any negatives about him.

"That's not my problem." said Joey, crossing his arms over his chest. "you're the one with the new card shop."

"My condition is this." Duke pressed. "We open new packs and make new decks. That way it's fair."

Yugi didn't think it was a great idea. "What's fair about that?" he asked. "If you're not playing with your own deck that the game's just pure luck." Turning to Joey, he said thoughtfully, "Besides, there's a lot of cards out there that we haven't even heard of."

Joey thumbed his chest. "Don't worry about it Yugi. Was I was I not a finalist at Duelist Kingdom?"

Yugi tried protesting, but he couldn't find the words he wanted to say. I was even confuzzled on what to do. Joey's mind seemed to be set on this.

"Then it's settled." said Joey. "We're dueling."

Duke twirled one of his many bangs in between his fingers. "But a simple duel sounds so boring." he said, his voice casual. "How about we make a bet? If I win, you have to do everything I say for a week."

"Deal." Joey smirked. "Because when I win, you gotta do everything I say! And the first thing you're gonna do is close down your shop!"

The girls in the classroom began chirping at each other in worry. Only Téa and I had some sense to not join. Téa, in fact, said something important, "Think about this Joey. You might be getting a little overboard here." The blonde haired friend of ours only thought about it for a second before nodding his head, confirming his decision.

"Very well." said Duke, I saw dark sparks lighting his eyes; amusement and trickery clearly visible to me. "Then today after school, we'll start the duel at my game shop."

* * *

As I was walking home, I thought of what Joey got himself into. I wished there was some way I could help cheer him on at the duel being held in an hour at the new game shop. Instead of cheering from the sidelines, I wanted to do something different.

I walked past a clothing store to my left. Stopping mid-step, I gave it a long look. The shop sold thread, needles, buttons, embroidered patterns, and fabric; all of many colours and designs. With a crazy idea forming in my head, I went inside to take a look, thinking if my idea worked, the group would be in for a surprise.

**

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Author's Note:

WELL! I'm glad I'm back! I missed writing…. XD Hope you liked that chapter! Stay tuned for the next one soon! Reviews are very much appreciated! See ya then! And thanks! xD 


	37. Dog Suit

**Author's Note: **HI GUYS! AGAIN! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! XD Reviews are appreciated! :)

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!. **Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**

* * *

Dungeon Dice Monsters-Freedom and Title on the Line Chapter 36**

After clearing my room with much difficulty, especially since I didn't know where to start, I finally managed to find my floor again. Settling down onto a spot on my carpet with the shopping bag filled with the material I just bought, I began my projects. This was going to be fun…especially with these…I set to work.

* * *

I changed into blue shorts and white t-shirt when I finished my plan. They were beginning to be my signature clothes now. XD Carefully folding and placing the projects I made into my blue duffel bag, I pocketed my wallet and attached my thigh sheathe to my right leg, and began heading for the door with the duffel slung over my shoulder.

I headed out of the complex and followed the street down to the big yellow building of Duke's game shop. Swinging back and forth to see where the rest of the group was. I told them we'd meet there. And soon enough, once my eyes grazed over the front doors, I spotted them.

I came up behind them and they jumped. "Hey guys." I said, happily.

They tried catching their breaths from my scare first. "Hey." they said in unison. Joey took an extra inhalation before raising a fist into the air.

"I'm guessing you're pumped?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

He nodded and cheekily grinned. "Hell yeah!" he cried, excitedly. After punching the air with enthusiasm, he began heading to the doors, dancing and singing; "I'm bad, I know it. I'm bad, I'll show it."

Everyone let out an animated sigh. I face-palmed. "He'd better be careful." Tristan said, watching his buddy go inside the building. "Or he'll get his big head stuck in the doorway." Out of being nervous, I half laughed and half cried. XD

There was another man waiting for us inside besides Duke. He said he was a friend of his and that Duke was waiting for them. He led us to an elevator farther away from inhabited area of the shop. It chimed and the automatic doors opened, revealing Duke who was wearing some flashy red, green, and black clothes. They suited him, I'll confess as much. At his feet was an opened cardboard box filled with orange packets of Duel Monster cards. I'm guessing this is where Joey and Duke make their new decks.

"Hey. So you ready to do this?" asked Duke, hands in his pockets and a suggestive smirk on his face.

Joey nodded, coming into the elevator. "Yeah." he said. "Let's do this." Everyone followed him in, I leaned against the wall with my duffel on the floor by my feet.

Duke motioned towards the box. "Here are the cards." he said. "Choose your packs wisely."

Taking a deep breath, Joey bent down next to it and began rummaging around its contents. Every once in a while, he would pull one pack out and rip the top of it open. A couple of times, he grinned so I was guessing he got some decent cards. Yugi seemed to ask what I wanted to know.

"Did you get some good cards?" he asked, looking over his friend's shoulder.

Joey gave his buddy a cheeky grin and a thumbs up. "Don't worry about it." he said. "I've got this in the bag." We all know it was a good thing to be confident, but we thought Joey was going a little bit in over his head now. Duke didn't eve oppose to what Joey said. He kept his arms crossed while he watched Joey pick out packs from the box. I was a little confused and worried by the smirk he was wearing.

When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, everyone stepped out into a well-lit room with a Duel Monsters platform sitting in the middle, stretching from one end to the other. Three girls in cheerleader outfits shouted cheers from on side of the room, all of the cheers about Duke and his great looks. I almost gagged on the inside. They wore t-shirts and skirts with sashes over their torsos. T. V. cameras stood off to the side, ready to record everything…

…wait…T. V. cameras?

"Uh…what's with the cameras?" Tristan asked, blinking at the machinery and people behind them.

Duke looked over his shoulder. "Oh, I just had a small theory that the bigger the audience, the better the performance." he said. "That's why I've decided to broadcast this live to the entire world! I'm sure my fans would want to see me defeat the second best duelist. I really hope you're second best, not second rate."

I knew this would tick him off, but he seemed cool about this. Almost…nonchalant. "Second rate?" he asked Duke. "Second rate? You're gonna need a second life!" Yepp…he was ticked. "Because when I'm through with you Duke Devlin, there'll be nothin' left!"

The cheerleaders began complaining at Joey's threat. But Duke held up a reassuring hand and they calmed down. "Don't worry." he said charmingly. "I've never disappointed my fans and I'm not about to start now."

With new hearts in their eyes, the girls began chanting another cheer and waving their pom-poms around the air. I glared in annoyance and muttered, "That's just fascinating…."

Joey's brain seemed to tick like a bomb now. "Clam up!" he shouted in irritation and when they stopped abruptly, he ran to one end of the platform and slapped down his deck. "Let's get this started! The faster I beat you, the faster you close down your stinkin' shop!"

Casually, Duke made his way to the opposite side of the platform while waving to his adoring, cheering fans. I almost gagged, but instead, I beckoned towards Téa and called her over. It was time to put my plan into motion but I needed Téa's help on this. The both of us were the only ones to pull it off, I didn't think any of the guys would have wanted to get in on this.

I whispered into her ear what I wanted her to do. She happily agreed without any complaint and thought it was a great idea. There was a store room door right next to us, so we carefully snuck in with grins on our faces and giggling.

"Where are you two going?" Yugi asked, watching us open the door and noticing us not being there.

I showed him my smile and shouldered my duffel. "You'll see." I said mischievously and we disappeared behind the door, locking it behind us.

Yugi and Tristan blinked and shrugged at each other. Joey finally noticed us not there when he looked over for some support. "Eh…where'd Sarah and Téa go?" he asked. Yugi was just about to answer when Duke interrupted him.

"Maybe they didn't want to see their friend lose." he said rather malignantly. He was beginning to be a fast talker. Joey growled under his breath for his remark, but his next one made him confused. "By the way, which one are you most fond of?"

"What are you talking about, Devlin?" he asked, questionably. What was this guy up to?

Duke put on an amused face, which raised that question even further. "I'm asking," he said more slowly, "Which one do you like?"

Joey glared at him. That wasn't any of his business if he liked one of them or not. "Why do you care?" he asked venomously.

Duke shrugged. "Ah, no reason." he said. "They're both just kind of cute, that's all. In fact, I was actually thinking I would ask Sarah out."

This seemed to trigger something in Joey. He wanted to shout a smart remark like, 'Why would she want to go out with a guy like you?' but instead, a more protective assertion came out. "Don't you dare think about laying your eyes on her, got it?" he said while gritting his teeth. Yugi and Tristan were a little angered by this too, they merely glared at Duke though.

Duke barely shrugged again with his smirk still in place. "I don't see why you might have a chance with her." he said adroitly.

Before Joey could shout something else, I walked through the door with Téa following me from behind. We stood in the doorway to make our presence known and as known, everyone's heads turned to our direction and their jaws dropped to the floor. I thought since Duke's cheerleaders were here, why not let Joey have his own little squad?

"I had a feeling Duke's fan club would follow him here." I said coolly while holding my very own pom-pom in my hand. "That's why Téa and I are here, dressed much better though, to cheer our own hero on."

The stuff I bought an hour ago was magically turned into cheerleading outfits of our own. We were both wearing a white t-shirt and cerulean blue skirts that reached halfway down our thighs. On Téa's t-shirt, I stitched on sparkly, blue letters that read, "You'd better watch out, Joey Wheeler's in the house!" and on mine, I stitched on, "Because if you get too close, Devlin, he might just send you back to Oblivion!" And over our torsos, we slung gold-coloured sashes bearing the words, "Joey Wheeler".

"You see?" Téa said, holding up her white pom-poms. "Sarah's just cool like this."

I smiled and bowed dramatically, "Thank you, darling." I said, trying a French accent. We giggled at ourselves and waved to the guys. They only began blushing and turned their heads away in embarrassment.

Duke clapped his hands once. "You see that?" he said, gesturing toward us. "That is exactly why I wanted to ask Sarah."

I blinked. "Ask me what?" I asked him, holding my pom-poms to my chest.

A smirk formed across his face. He obviously had an idea going on in his head. "I wanted to ask you something," he said, "but maybe we should put that on the line too."

Joey's eyes flared with so much anger, sparks flew. "Devlin," he said through clenched teeth, "Don't. Even. Think about it."

Shrugging coldly, he smirked. "All right. All right." he said. "Let's just get this duel started with the stakes we both agreed to."

Joey nodded with new determination. "Fine by me." And I still didn't understand what was happening….what did Duke want to ask me?

* * *

(**Author's Note: **All right, since I don't know how to describe cheerleading moves, because I'm just that dense xD, I'll write the cheers in _italics_ and you can make up some really cool routine in your imagination that would go great with that cheer. Ok? Cool. Sorry guys. ^^' And thanks.)

Duke drew his first card and decided to start off the duel. Téa and I started a glaring contest with the other cheerleaders. It seemed like a good, dramatic start to the game.

"_Wheeler's ready, _

_Wheeler's smooth, _

_Wheeler will take control _

_and stomp all over you!"_

"_Duke! Duke! He's our man!_

_If he can't do it, nobody can!"_

Yugi and Tristan sighed animatedly. "This looks like a war man." Tristan commented. Yugi sweat dropped and nodded nonetheless. It really looked like we were at each other's throats.

After watching our little round, Duke said with a smirk, "What teams! This looks like a blood battle, won't you agree?"

Joey smiled proudly at his friends. They really cared for him. "Just start your move." he smirked. "Then we'll see."

**LP: Duke: 2000/Joey: 2000**

Duke merely shrugged. "All right then." he said, throwing down a monster card. "I summon Oni Tank T-34!" A green tank appeared onto the field in attack position. It's attack points were 1400.

"All right that ends my first move." Duke said simply, but there was a glint of malice in his eyes. "Now let's see some of that world class talent of yours, hot shot."

Joey drew his first card of the duel too. "Hold on to your headband, Dicey boy." Wow…great nickname Joey…it really suits him too…

When Joey read what his card was, he grinned widely. It seemed like he drew a really good card. "I summon Sword Hunter in attack mode!" A man wearing armour appeared onto Joey's side of the field, who's attack points were 2450, more than enough to defeat Duke's monster.

He called an attack and his Sword Hunter easily destroyed Duke's Oni Tank. His life points decreased along with his defences.

**LP: Duke: 0950/Joey: 2000**

"Yeah!" Joey cried, punching the air with his fist. "And not only did it beat your monster, Sword Hunter gains 200 more attack points for every attack!" Sword Hunter's points raised from 2450 to 2650.

Duke didn't look so fazed, instead he just played his next monster with more confidence. "I play Dark Bat in defence mode." he said and a small bat appeared onto the field in front of him. "I also play one card face down. That ends my turn."

Joey didn't seem to worry so much for the face down card. "Are you trying to run already, Devlin?" he mocked. But his mind was still registering the fact that Téa and I were cheering for him….and wearing the right costumes for it too….(meaning the skirts….xD)

"_Joey's here_

_He can't be beat _

_Devlin watch out and prepare for defeat_

_He's tough, he's awesome, he can't be stopped_

_Joey's number 1 and you are NOT!"_

"_Duke! Duke! He's our man!_

_If he can't do it, nobody can!"_

I glared at these three cheering idiots. They looked all tough, but they couldn't think of anything else? I glanced at Joey from the corner of my eyes and saw him staring at us. I lightly nudged Téa in her side and made her look up. We both grinned at each other and then waved at Joey. He blushed and averted his attention back to the duel. We giggled silently to each other.

Shaking his head of boyish thoughts, Joey drew a card for his next turn. He looked over his hand before playing a card. "I summon Mad Sword Beast!" he said and a rhino charged onto the field. Kicking its legs up, he attack the Dark Bat and sent Duke's defences down all over again.

Duke kept shrugging it off. "No harm done." he acknowledged. "As my bat was in defence mode."

"That's where you're wrong." Joey said, "Because with my Mad Sword Beast, you still lose attack points even if your Dark Bat was in defence mode."

"What?" Duke's life points went for another climb down. Making him just that much closer to his defeat.

**LP: Duke: 0550/Joey: 2000**

Téa and I jumped up, shooting our pom-poms into the air, "Joey! Joey! He's our man! If HE can't do it, NOBODY can!" You can see just how much faith we had in our pal. Let's hope he doesn't blow it.

Joey smiled. "Aw…thanks guys." We bowed and then blew raspberries at Duke. XD

Duke chuckled dryly. "You two are hilarious…." We cocked our heads to the side innocently and then went back to cheering for Joey.

'Jee I got some great friends…' our blonde headed winner thought. Then he came back to Earth when Duke started his next move.

"You don't think my Dark Bat is going off to the graveyard alone do you?" he asked, activating a magic card. "I play Michizure! This card allows me to automatically destroy one of your monsters! And I choose your Sword Hunter!"

Joey watched in horror as his monster was torn into the ground by grave hands.

Then Duke placed one more card face down onto the field and summoned Spikebot, which he called for an attack on Joey's remaining monster.

**LP: Duke: 0550/Joey: 1600 **

"Focus Joey!" Tristan shouted from the sides. I handed Téa a water bottle from my duffel bag for some comical humour. xD

Joey looked over. "I'm trying!" he wailed. Then he drew another card from his deck and his frown immediately turned upside down.

"_Let's go Joey, let's go!_

_WOOT WOOT!"_

I don't even think you WANT to know what the other cheerleaders just cheered….same thing over and over again…god….

"Goblin Attack Force!" Joey shouted, throwing down his card and summoning green goblins with clubs and caveman outfits. They attacked Duke's Spikebot and sent his life points to such a low number, we thought for sure Joey would win. And after that attack, his monsters went into defence position.

**LP: Duke: 0050/Joey: 1600**

"Oh yeah!" Joey cried, punching the air. "I've got this game in the bag!" The cheerleaders for Duke sulked in a corner and began whimpering. Téa and smiled in conquerment and kept cheering on for our friend.

But Duke's still calm, twirling his hair around his finger.

"Either Duke's got ice in his blood," began Yugi, "or he has something planned." I crossed my arms and nodded in agreement. It did seem like Duke was being a bit too calm about this. Maybe he did have a card combo that could hurt Joey's life points. Well, we won't know for long because Joey's about to win! He didn't even leave enough room for Duke to make a comeback!

"Yeah." I sighed. "He might." Yugi blinked to which I just smiled innocently. He shook his head, not wanting to know what I was thinking. No one can understand my thinking. Muahaha. XD (lol. Sorry random moment. XD)

"You'd better be careful man!" Tristan warned, but Joey seemed a bit occupied, thinking something about having his own cheerleading school would be a great idea… .

"Wheeler! Snap out of it and duel!" Téa and I yelled at him simultaneously. He jumped back and nearly fell off the platform from our outburst.

"All right, all right. I got this." he murmured.

"After I draw, I don't think so." Duke did just that before his smirk grew even more intense. "I summon the most powerful monster in my deck now. Prepare for defeat Joey."

Joey blinked.

"I summon Gradius! And attack the magic card, Limiter Removal to double it's attack points!" A space jet withdrew itself from the bottom of the field and began doubling in size to match its attack points. Joey watched at it with sheer panic written on his face.

"Then I play another magic card." Duke held it up to show Joey. My eyes widened in sudden realization. That card was not good. Not good at all.

"Fairy Meteor Crush! Activate!" The Gradius Duke summoned onto the field began glowing immensely. The defence points of the Attack Force (0) and the attack points of Gradius (2400) began glowing too.

"Joey! You've got yourself trapped!" I pointed out. "Fairy Meteor Crush is like a magic card version of the Mad Sword Beast you played!"

Joey held his chin in his hand. "Mad Sword Beast…" he pondered. Then his eyes widened. "Ah! Then that means-"

Duke smirked slyly. "This card has a special power." he said. "Even though your monsters are in defence mode, my magic card allows the difference between my monster's attack points and your monsters' defence points come right out of your life points!"

"Gah! No!"

"Gradius! Attack and end this duel!"

Gradius blasted a ray of light right at Joey, destroying all his goblins before hitting him square on.

"He wiped out all of Joey's monsters!" Téa cried in disbelief. "And the rest of his life points!"

**LP: Duke: 0050/Joey: 0000**

"No way…." I muttered. This couldn't be happening. I mean, Joey had that won! What happened? Maybe it was Duke's condition that fluked the whole thing. He said that if they used new decks made up of random cards, it would be fair. Well guess what. That stupid rule made Joey lose! I wasn't about to blame him. He had nothing to do with it. Because if Joey was using his own deck, he could have won. Hands down.

Now, as he slowly made his way back to us, my pom-poms fell to the floor. He lost. And now he had to do anything Duke wanted him to do for a week. A full, bloody week!

"It's all right Joey." Yugi said, trying to encourage his friend. "You did your best." I tried keeping my own emotions in. Téa and I stood off to the side as we scornfully watched Duke's cheerleaders snicker and make a riot that their idol was better than ours.

When Duke came off the platform, he snapped his fingers once and, as if practiced, one of the cheerleaders brought out a yellow dog costume with brown spots on random places. She handed it Joey.

"I hope you're a man of your word Joey-boy." Duke commented. "I'm looking forward to having an obedient dog for the next week."

Joey held the dog suit in his hands and sighed defeated.

"Hey knock it off Duke Devlin! Just 'cause you won, doesn't mean you can put Joey down!" Yugi said, trying to stand up for his buddy. Joey sighed again.

"It's all right man." he assured. "A deal's a deal. And since I lost, I have to keep my promise."

Suddenly a small, white dice came from out of nowhere and went smack right into the middle of Joey's forehead. He yelled out in pain and reached for his head. The gang asked in unison, "Are you ok?"

Duke bounced another die in the palm of his hand. "Dogs don't say ouch." he said lethally. "They say, "woof woof"." The anger that was slowly building in my blood began to boil and I was shocked my skin didn't turn red.

"Now put it on and bark for me." ordered Duke. Joey gripped the suit in his hands tightly in anger before reluctantly putting it on over his clothes. He slowly bent down on onto his hands and knees, raised his head slightly, and muttered, "Woof, woof."

Yugi turned away, angered by Duke's demand. Téa and Tristan gave each other nervous glances when they looked my way. My anger was probably radiating off of me; the reason they can feel my tension. I wasn't given the chance to throw them, Téa took the white pom-poms from out of my hands before I could yell.

"Bastard!" I cried, raising a fist accusingly into Duke's face. His composure didn't falter. "You're such a low life who loves watching people in anguish!" How could he take such an advantage to see a good duelist down on his knees like this? What a creep!

Duke's hand moved so fast when it clutched my own. I immediately froze. He moved it away from his face and moved closer.

"You're a feisty one." he commented, staring into my eyes. "See, this is exactly why I wanted to ask you out."

My eyes widened and I tried jerking my hand from his grip but he didn't let go. I glared at him some and everyone behind me stiffened in case Duke tried something.

"Ask me out?" I growled. I thought that was the bloodiest thing in the world! Even if he did ask me, I would never have said yes! He would have lost a vital limb before ever getting me to say yes! (Yes…I can get angry when I'm given the chance. XD) He hurt my friend and now I was about to hurt him!

He nodded, not noticing my anger or thinking it was cute to not notice. "Yeah." he said a bit sweetly. "I thought it would be great to know you."

"How about you get to know my fist-"

Joey quickly shot to his feet. "Sarah, don't worry about it." he said, desperately. "I promised, and now I have to keep my promise. Even if it's to a creep like that Devlin."

The dice Duke was holding, left his hand in a flash, hitting Joey in the head again. He whimpered and held his head.

"Shut your yap, you mongrel!" demanded Duke. "Don't speak unless your master commands you to!"

I glare at Duke. He still hadn't let go of my hand and now he was becoming even more annoying.

Tristan turned to Joey. "We get the point of your promise, man, but it still isn't cool to humiliate you like this." he argued. Joey only tried protesting.

There was a small flash of light and in place of Yugi, stood Yami. I blinked confusedly when his hands reached my shoulders and he pulled me back onto his chest, all the while glaring deathly towards Duke. I blushed lightly, but I was confused as to why.

"Enough Duke." he said strongly. Duke blinked at how fast Yugi's personality changed. Even I was still puzzled at how fast he came to the rescue. ;D "This has gone too far. I challenge you to a duel."

Good lord, I thought, this is going to be interesting…

Duke seemed to like that idea. In fact, he smirked all too badly. "Very well." he agreed. "But this time, we'll battle in a game of my own choosing."

…This can't be good…

Duke added a pause for dramatic effect. "Dungeon Dice Monsters."

I turned around to face Yami, making him remove his hands from my shoulders which left a cold, tinkling feeling in its place. "Yugi, you know nothing of the game." I said. "This isn't fair."

"Oh and the stakes." Duke held his chin in his hand. As he thought, Yami studied my pleading face. "What would you like when you win?"

"I only wish to have Joey a free person again." he said, simply.

Duke nodded with the smirk still on his face. "All right." he said. "But if I win, you have to give the title 'King of Games' to me. And you have to swear on your grandfather's soul never to play Duel Monsters again."

This was unbelievable. I couldn't let Yami do this, no matter how smart he was at learning. Duke would have the upper hand because he knows the game while Yami doesn't. It wasn't fair.

"No." Joey said. "Yugi don't. I'm fine. You don't have to do this-"

Another dice was sent at Joey like ammunition, but before it could touch him, a hand grasped it in time. It was Yami. And that was fast thinking.

Duke's smirk faltered for a second. "So what's it going to be?" he asked, letting it return again. Yami thought for a second, but Duke seemed to have remembered something. "Right! Put a date with Sarah in the stakes, too."

I blinked for a good minute. I forgot who I was for a second. "…wait…WHAT?"

**

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Author's Note: **Hope you liked that one! Man, do I come up with very weird ideas… but I hope you liked them. How was the cheerleading idea for you and Téa? I thought that was cool. Something a little different for when you guys meet Duke for the first time. XD Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading! xD


	38. Yugi vs Duke Part 1

**Author's Note: **HI GUYS! AGAIN! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! XD Reviews are appreciated! :)

This is now Yugi's fight. He has to get Sarah and Joey their freedom back, but it's going to cost him something if he fails; his title of King of Games and Duel Monsters. He must defeat Duke Devlin, or he won't be able to get his friends out of this mess!

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!. **Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

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**Dungeon Dice Monsters-Freedom and Title on the Line Chapter 37**

After Duke had the nerve to say that a date would be put on the line, I grabbed the collar of his shirt and brought my face dangerously closer to his. "You little….son of a two-dollar-bill…" I growled at him. He smiled sheepishly.

"Now now. It's not my fault nature made you beautiful, alright?" I was so disgusted by his words, I released my death grip on his shirt and let him slide to the floor. Before stomping back to Téa, I turned to Yugi on my way and silently poked him in the chest.

"Don't let him win," I stated simply, before dragging Téa back into the store room for the second part of our cheerleading. Tristan, Joey, and now Yami all blinked at our retreating forms.

"Leave Sarah out of this, Duke," demanded Yami, recovering from my touch. It left a cold taction in its place, ever since my finger left his clothes. "She has nothing to do with this. And she's not a prize to be won." This sounded familiar…

Duke calmly twirled one of his many bangs around his slim fingers. "I know she's not a prize to be won Yugi," he said defiantly. "But you know she's irresistible right? I mean have you even looked at her?"

Yami cocked an eyebrow so high, it hid beneath his gold bang. Truly, he hasn't ever thought of Sarah like that. Until maybe now…but just thinking about it made his face warm.

"I will win Duke," he stated, knowing that Duke wasn't about to change the stakes any time soon. And when the small blush disappeared. "For Sarah and for Joey. I won't let you control them!"

Duke merely smirked in amusement at his challenge. "Let's get this started then," he said, walking toward his end of the duel field. Yami started for his own too. Tristan gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and Joey gave him a small, worried 'thanks' as he made his way past them.

Opening a small compartment directly behind his duel mat, Duke pressed a red button and a buzz rang through the room. The dueling platform immediately began shifting; the floor sunk into the ground and a new field rose in its place, and the mat changed into a more complicated one with a grid covering half of it, on the left of the grid was a square slot, and on the right was a list of different symbols and another slot but this one smaller and more rectangular. A small computer screen and keyboard sat on the ledge of the mat, away from everything else.

"Looks a bit different than Duel Monsters, huh?" Duke asked smugly while crossing his arms over his chest. "Well get used to it. Dungeon Dice Monsters is a whole new game with a whole new set of rules, and to keep up, you're gonna have to pay close attention."

"Don't you worry," assured Yami. "I'm a quick study."

Duke scoffed. "You'd better be, Yugi," he said. "Because I know this game inside and out and if you wanna win then you're gonna have to learn it as well. Now let's get started!"

When Duke was finished with everything, Téa and I walked right through the doors and into view. Duke's cheerleaders froze in the middle of their cheer and began giving us death glares. Tristan and Joey blinked at our _new_ outfits.

I had an idea that maybe, just maybe, Yugi would have to duel somewhere here. I had a feeling. So I decided to make these just in case. We were wearing white t-shirts but this time, instead of blue lettering, to make the outfits match our school colours, I stitched on RED lettering. To match Yami's eyes. X3 On Téa's shirt, it read: "Yugi's going to win this with all of us behind him. 3" and on mine, it read: "Because no matter where he is, we're always with him in his heart. 3" We were also wearing matching crimson skirts and our pom-poms were white but they were streaked with red too. All of it went great with my hair, said Téa before we went out there to cheer Yugi on. x3

"Let's go Yugi!" Téa shouted, waving her pom-poms around. He looked to where we were standing and almost began blushing but he held it together.

I waved up at him with a smile on my face. "Hey man. Good luck!" I said. This time, I saw a small blush covering his cheeks and he quickly nodded and looked back to the mat. I wondered if that was Yugi…or Yami?

Duke didn't like the idea of Yugi having us as his cheerleading squad. He kept glaring at us repeatedly. But maybe putting me up on the line and then Yami and Yugi winning will make him understand why I wasn't even going to go near to cheering for him. Because he was a sore loser.

"You two are very different," Tristan said to us, shaking his head in disbelief. Joey came up behind us and put his arm around our shoulders.

"You two….are the best," He said, hugging our heads close. Téa and I giggled. "Thanks so much for cheering me on back there. But I'm so sorry I lost."

I shrugged. Téa did the same. "It doesn't matter man," I said.

Téa nodded. "Yeah. You just tried your best. That's all that matters."

I turned around, making Joey's arm fall off my neck, and poked him in the nose to which he blinked. "But next time?" I warned. "Don't get too cocky." Joey anime fell and Tristan, Téa, and I began laughing.

Yami walked into his dueling area and inspected all the components. 'Hm…looks pretty straight forward…' he thought. But then a tray opened underneath everything and Yami's eyes widened. It was filled with three rows of different coloured dice, each with a different design on all the sides.

"Lost already?" Duke chuckled malignantly. Yugi glared. (Remember, unless Yami and Yugi are talking to each other, I won't say who is really who. Right now, Yami has indeed taken over to duel, but I'm saying Yugi because that's just what everyone calls him, no matter if it's Yami or Yugi. XD) "Relax. I'll walk you through it."

Duke pointed to the dice filled compartment. "That's your dice pool," he began explaining. "Select 15 dice from it to use for the game."

Yugi was left to ponder over all the dice while Duke already picked his 15. "I'd give you some tips on which to pick, Yugi, but being the master gamer that you are, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

I growled silently in the back of my throat. Duke was just waiting for me to crack so he could try using his charm to calm me down! There's not a drug in the WORLD that would contain me from killing this bastard! XD

Yugi looked down at the tray and although I knew he was a quick study at learning new things, I also knew that it wouldn't be bad if we helped him out a bit.

**"Trust your instinct.**

**Trust your heart.**

**'Cause you know with both,**

**You can't be stopped."**

Yugi looked towards us when he heard our words. We smiled.

**"Trust your instinct.**

**Trust your heart.**

**'Cause you know with both,**

**You can't be stopped."**

His face broke into a small smile and he gave us a nod before looking back down at the tray and beginning to pick his 15 dice. Téa and I high-fived. XD

Duke waited rather impatiently for Yugi to pick his dice. It seemed like we were getting to his head now. Muahaha. XD Once Yugi was done, he held up his dice. "I'm ready. Let's do this." he said.

"Good," Duke said. "Now here's how this works. These dice are gonna be kind a like your dueling deck. And just like you shuffle your deck, we shuffle these. Like this." Duke held his dice filled hand over the open slot on his left. He dropped them in and the machine inside began whirring. Yugi did the same. Then on the right hand slot, three dice appeared.

"You see?" said Duke, "Easy. The dice automator will randomize your fifteen dice into groups of three. Take a look. You get three dice per round. You roll all three at the same time and then you get to make your move depending on what you roll. But I'll explain more on that a bit later. Now take your three dice out of the auto hatch," -to which Yami complied- "Good. Okay, now how do you score? Well, in this game, we have heart points. They're like life points but you only get three. That's it." Now that everyone looked at the new field more closely, we saw three glowing hearts underneath the dueling mat. They shimmered like the hologram projectors. "And whoever loses all three of their hearts first is out. Game on!"

Téa and I blinked. "What 'game on'?" she asked. "But Yugi just now learned the rules!"

Tristan shot a disgusted look towards Duke. "Yeah that's probably just how Duke likes it," he said.

I growled. "That's not fair," I said. "I told Yugi to forget about it and let Joey stay in that god forsaken dog costume!" Behind us, the cheerleaders for Duke began cheering again, but this time, at the end of their routine, they got Joey to raise a pom-pom. He shot me a glare through his dog nose cap.

Duke flicked his hair coolly to the side. "Thanks ladies," he says charmingly. "You're beautiful." The cheerleaders began cheering again while Joey muttered something.

"Man…what a bunch of suck-ups…"

They appeared behind him in a flash. With their hands on their hips and glares in their eyes, Joey knew he was in trouble.

"No yapping you mutt!" one of them said. Then they grabbed him by the ears and neck and began pulling him apart. "This is a duel, not a dog show!" They brought him to the ground and the third one was about to crush him flat, but I got there in time.

I dashed up to them so fast, I knew Téa was going to ask me if I had gone ninja XD, and I yelled, more like freakishly ordered, "Let. Go. Of. The. Dog. NOW!" They immediately let go, scared out of their wits to see me like that, looking about to bloody murder. They took some cautious steps back and when Joey found an opening spot to run, he quickly crawled towards me and hugged my leg. I blinked.

"Don't make me go back there again!" he wailed, anime crying. I blinked again. His chibi face got to me.

"Awww!" I cried, hugging him around his neck. "You're so cute!" I didn't know Joey took it seriously, so seriously that he would begin blushing. Tristan and Téa just laughed while the cheerleaders just glared and sulked.

"Any who…." Duke said through clenched teeth. "I'm gonna make my first roll now, Yugi. So from here on out, you're just gonna have to listen carefully and learn as we go." Then he threw the three dice he was holding onto the dueling mat.

**HP: Duke: 3/Yugi: 3**

"See those markings there?" he asked Yugi, once the dice had stopped rolling. "Those are called crests. Different crests do different things."

He held up one of his die. "Take this green die for example. This star crest I just rolled is for summoning. To be able to summon something at least two out of the three dice that you roll during your turn have to land with the same type summon crest face up."

Yami waited for it. Because by the look in his eyes, I knew Duke just got something bad. Well good for him, but bad for Yugi.

"And if I'm not mistaken," he said slyly, "It seems I've come up with two matching summoning crests on my very first roll of the game!"

He placed the dice onto one of the grid squares on the mat. "Now, the dimensionalizing part of the process." he pressed the dice _into_ the grid, yelling, "Dimension the Dice!", and it folded out into a pink path. A monster stood in the middle of the newly opened dice. Everything was being shown on the bigger grid between the two duelists.

"And there you go," Duke said, marvelling at his summon. "Ryu-Kishin! My very first monster is on the board!"

"The monsters are inside the dice?" Yugi asked.

"And that's not all," said Tristan, "It looks like the dice themselves are part of the game!"

"I'm glad you brought that up, Tristan," Duke said. "That's one of the key elements to Dungeon Dice Monsters. For you see, once a die unfolds to dimensionalize a monster, it becomes a dungeon pathway. And with enough of this dungeon pathway, I can construct a route, a route my monsters can use to get to your heart points."

'Oh I get it,' I thought, looking down over the railing to where the huge grid was laid. 'The way to get to your opponent's heart points, is to get your monsters close enough to attack the hearts directly. So, the more dice Yugi can dimensionalize and turn into dungeon path, the better. …Sounds simple enough…'

"Go ahead Yugi," taunted Duke. "It's your turn."

Before Yugi made his move, he made clear, "Devlin, don't you forget! If I win this then you have to give my friends Joey and Sarah their freedom back!"

Duke put on a dangerous smirk. "Right, if you win," he said. "…If…"

"I'm countin' on you buddy!" Joey encouraged, punching his fist into the air. "If there's anybody who can beat Devlin, it's you!"

One of the cheerleaders pointed to him and scolded. "No talking! Bad dog!" Joey whimpered and went back to hugging my leg.

I blinked again and pulled him by his dog suit. "Man…" I said. "You have to try and be a MAN…." His turn to blink. But he nodded nonetheless.

Yugi rolled his dice, shouting the same three words Duke cried on his turn. "Go, dice roll!" When all three dice came to a stop, Yugi sighed.

"The three crests! None of them match!"

Duke chortled. "Yeah, because the level of dice you threw were way too high!" he cracked. "Sorry. Didn't I mention that different dice had different levels?"

That…little…ass! He left that out on purpose!

"This is how it works. There are six types of crests on the surfaces of these dice. Summon, movement, magic, attack, defence, and trap crests. How often each of the crests appears on a dice depends on that dice's level. The 2-level dice that I just used, had three summon crests on each. So it was easy for me to roll two of 'em. But, the easier a monster is to summon, the weaker he is.

"Ok, now look carefully at your dice Yugi." Yugi held the dice up in his hands.

"They each have only one summon crest!" he finds out.

"Right, and that makes it much more difficult for you to roll a pair of them. Of course, had you, it've been a very strong monster." I bet Duke loved being away from my death grip or he would have been literally dead in that hold…

"Still I'm in the opinion that in the earlier stages in the game, it's better to go for a low-level sure thing. After all, the odds of summoning a monster with high level dice, are slim to none."

"You're such an ass….I really wish I can kick your ass…" I muttered lamely while I stared Duke down with my glare. He just smirked at me.

Joey rolled his eyes and leaned against the railing next to me. "Well…where have we heard that before?"

I held my chin in my hand for a second and blew a stray bang away from my face. All that cheering for Joey's duel got me beat but I wasn't about to give up yet. I took off my shoe and held it upside down, letting a ragged, red scrunchie fall into the palm of my hand. I put my shoe back on and then began tying my hair into a long ponytail that fell just above my hips. Joey stared.

"Whaaa?" I answered his question before he could ask.

"My hair equals long," I said grumpily. Joey understood and just kept staring at me in amusement.

Yugi looked at his hands containing the three dice he just rolled. I beckoned to Téa and she understood almost immediately.

**"Even though you're cool,**

**Even though you're hot, **

**Try to be both at the same time **

**and you'll make time stop.**

**Think about what you're doing,**

**Think about what's happening,**

**Even though the odds are against you,**

**You can't give up now."**

Yugi looked at us again. He really appreciated our help, I could see it in his eyes. Those ruby eyes sparkled whenever I gazed into them. I blinked and face-palmed. How was I beginning to think like this…?

Joey came up behind me and poked me in the back. "Er…you okay there?" he asked.

I quickly calmed my blush and rid the depths of my mind of Yami's eyes, which began surrounding my vision all of a sudden. "Oh yeah." I said, once I calmed down. "I'm just peachy…"

"Well you still haven't answered my question," he pouted, crossing his arms. I glanced at Yugi one more time and found him staring at us with those eyes again. I blushed again and quickly looked back to Joey. He's watching us…

"Oh right!" I said after much thought. I blinked dramatically before saying, "Wow…it's Eric number two." I shuddered at the thought. He was ok, Eric…Hall? But him continuously dueling for a 'chance to win my heart' kept bothering me.

Joey smiled and put a friendly arm around my shoulders. "Ah don't worry. This guy isn't going to duel you though, so he's a small bit better." I anime fell. XD

"Jee…thanks Wheeler…" xD

Yami smiled to himself. She didn't seem like that serious, or almost serious, girl from Kaiba's Virtual World. 'She almost seems like two different people…' he thought.

Yugi appeared in ghost form next to him. 'You're right.' he agreed. 'She said her formality changes automatically to her surroundings. When she's here in Japan, she gets all hyper and when she's in a desert, she begins to act all formal and serious.'

Yami looked down to his hand, holding the three dice he tried rolling. That same moment reminded him of the moment he held Sarah's Locket. His eyes began playing tricks on him and he actually thought he was holding it right then. Yugi felt this.

'What exactly happened back there anyway?' he asked, even though this clearly wasn't the time.

Yami shook his head, still staring at his palms. 'Until that moment she saved us from that attack…' Yami thought, thinking back to Kaiba's virtual gaming world where almost everyone lost. 'I only thought her as a friend…but when she appeared in front of me like that, I remembered what she said minutes before, outside the castle.'

Yugi wracked his brain and tried to remember, but Yami had clearly remembered it like it happened just moments before:

_**"I'll help you no matter what. I'd risk my life for you if I could." **_

Looking over at Sarah now, he thought, 'How could she be so formal and so informal all at the same time?'

Yugi sweat dropped. 'That's Sarah for you.' he said. Then he put a hand onto Yami's shoulder. A soft expression was on his face. 'Don't worry. She'll tell us everything in time. But right now, I think we should save her from a date with Duke.'

Yami smiled and nodded. 'Right.' He turned his attention back to the duel at hand. "Your move Duke!" he shouted across the field.

"About time." Duke retorted, taking his three dice from the automator. He threw them onto the mat and grinned when he got another two summoning crests. He dimensionalized the dice and summoned Yuranzo, then he uses the movement crest he also rolled to move his monster forward.

"Oh and if you have crests left over from your rolls, you can save them in your crest pool." Duke said, pointing to the list of crests to the right. You could save all the crests except for the summoning crests. It seems that if you roll two summons, you have to summon your monster then, and if you can only roll one, then you can't save the crest in your crest pool. Hm…if you could've been able to save you summons crests, then Yugi would have had a monster. But Duke knew that players will look into their pool to summon monsters.

Yugi rolls again, but turns up with nothing. I growled in frustration.

Duke rather arrogantly tells him, "If you don't summon a monster soon, you won't be able to defend yourself. Maybe you should trying blowing on the dice for good luck." I growled in anger this time.

Then Duke rolls another summon, and summons Gator Dragon, once again using a movement crest to move it forward.

Yugi, on his turn, rolled two summon crests. Everyone was about to jump for joy, but when Duke said that both crests were different levels, everyone held me back from murdering anyone, but I kept it cool. They blinked. I knew Yugi will eventually roll two summons of the same level soon.

This time, Duke gains 4-level dice. "Well would you look at that?" he said, holding up the dice. "4-level dice! They were too hot for you to handle, let's see if I can prevail in summoning a monster." He rolled the dice, and indeed, he rolled two summons. I fell to the floor and put my hands under my head.

"Wake me when it's over…" I murmured, placing my pom-poms onto my head to keep the light out of my eyes. "I have to plan a dress for my date." Everyone in the gang looked over.

Joey didn't even feel like making fun of me. He felt pity. If Duke had explained all the rules before the game started, Yugi wouldn't have had such a bad time trying to summon a monster. Now…if he loses…Joey gives up a week of his life and Sarah gives up a day for a date. "Hey man," he said, shaking my shoulder. "You have to try and keep the Faith. He'll get a monster. You'll see."

It took me two seconds to jump to my feet, making Joey fall from shock. "You're right. Screw the dress." I smirked. "I'm gonna cheer until I lose my voice!"

Tristan smiled. "That's the Sarah we know!" he said.

Téa nodded and gave me a thumbs-up. "That's the spirit! Now, what other cheer should we do?"

I placed my chin in my hand and thought about it. Then we exchanged ideas back and forth until we could come up with something.

Duke summoned, not a monster, but a chest from a black die that he dimensionalized. Yugi wondered in confusion of why he would want that.

Yugi tried his roll again. And came up with nothing! When Duke rolled in his turn, he got two summons again! He brought Thirteenth Grave from the dice and the monster was only three squares from Yugi's heart points! He HAD to get a monster right now! Or he'll be very far behind! And maybe this move will cost him the duel!

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**Author's Note: **Bleh….sorry for the suckish ending. Couldn't think of anything else. Eenyways…hope you liked that chapter! Please review! They are very loved! x3

Er...sorry for bolding the cheers, but I couldn't really tell the difference...xD Between the words to the story and the words to the cheer. xD

Tell me what you think of the cheers please! So I can edit or find/create more! Thank you! ^^


	39. Yugi vs Duke Part 2

**Author's Note: **Hi…. XD. Hope you like this chapter. Sorry it took me much longer to update this time. School started and I can only update during the weekend. Hope it goes well. Sorry guys! But I'll try updating more if I can. Thanks.

**Revisions!: **OH HEY! I revised chapter one: The Awakening. Check it out and tell me how it is! Please and thank you! ^^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!. **Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**

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Dungeon Dice Monsters-Freedom and Title on the Line Chapter 38**

**HP: Duke: 3/Yugi: 3**

"Come on Yugi! You can win this!" Téa and I shouted over the sidelines, giving our friend a boost that he really needed. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to get a monster onto the field. All he needed to do was roll two summon crests…not so hard right? Well…unfortunately, Yugi mostly chose high level dice which makes it really difficult to roll two summons. But even though, Duke conveniently forgot to mention that fact, everyone knew Yugi could win this. He went against Pegasus and won, right? And that guy could see everything in anyone's mind! So Duke is nothing. At least….we think….

"Keep the Faith!" This seemed to give Yugi somewhat of an idea, because he gave the dice he was holding in his hand for his next turn a very long and determined look. Like he believes in the Heart of the Cards, he could believe in his dice. I think he got the idea when he began to roll his dice.

"**Keep the Faith!**

**Keep the Faith!**

**It's not too late,**

**To turn the slate!**

**Let's go Yugi!"**

"Go, dice roll!" The dice left his hands, flew through the air, and began skidding across the duel mat. They roll slowly…dramatically…the first one isn't a summon crest, but the second one is a Level 4 summon, and the third…one…is another Level 4 summoning crest! Yugi dimensions the dice and summons the Mighty Mage to defend his heart points, while the rest of us jump up and down, cheering and shouting with excitement.

"Yeah man!" I cried, punching the air, making the pom-pom I was holding leave my hands and go soaring into the air. It came to land on Joey's head just as he was drawing over a sign made of cardboard.

We blinked simultaneously. I sheepishly scratched the back of my neck. "Er…sorry man. Heh." He gave me a sharp glare as he took off the pom-pom and chucked it at me. I yelped and reached out a hand to try and catch it but it went soaring past my head, hitting Tristan in the side of the head.

…oops….

"You two are idiots…" he growled dangerously, ripping the pom-pom from off his face. I hid behind Joey and we both shivered in fright. XD

"Now I can finally summon a monster." said Yugi, fitting his dice into the grid just as Duke had done. The box opened up on the field to reveal a small, blue magician. "I summon, Mighty Mage! Then I will use a movement crest from my crest pool to advance it forward, so it can launch an attack against the Thirteenth Grave!"

The Mage pointed his staff directly at the monster it was in front of and a ball of blue light escaped its end, coming into contact with it and making him disappear with a shatter.

Duke was only slightly fazed by his monster. "That was a good move Yugi." he said, but a small smirk formed onto his face. "But you're still behind." Duke rolls another summoning when it was his turn. He summons a monster called Blast Lizard. It looked like a normal monster, but the way Duke was giving everyone a mysterious grin made me think that this monster was a bit different than some of the normal ones.

"This monster has a special ability." he said rather smugly. "But I'm not about to tell you what it is just yet."

"I bet it's to make you bored out of your head…" I snickered lightly standing beside Joey as he, too, watched the duel. The cheerleaders held pretend rifles and began trying to shoot us. I ducked my head behind Joey, who cowered himself, while Téa was the strong one of the bunch and actually sounded some words to back them off. I cheered for her then. XD

In his next turn, when Yugi picked up his dice, I saw a smile appear onto his face. I rose a brow in confusion but when he gave me and the gang a thumbs up, I figured out what it could've been. Some low level dice.

He rolled the three dice and indeed, because of their low level, he was able to roll two summoning crests. "I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!" The blue dragon with it's medium sharp teeth appeared from within another dice Yugi was able to dimensionalize at this point. Now he had two monsters against Duke's 4. He's halfway to the point of where Duke is.

When it was Duke's next roll, he didn't get any summoning crests. This made the gang and I extremely happy because it stopped his summoning streak and now Yugi has one more turn to catch up. Even Yugi said, "You've failed to summon any monsters this turn." But the look of malice on Duke's face stopped everyone from celebrating.

"Who said anything about me trying to summon a monster, Yugi?" he questioned, enjoying everyone's confusion. "I was trying to roll for magic crests, to activate my Blast Dragon's special ability. I needed two in order for that to happen. And would you look at that? I got 'em."

Everyone leaned over the railing in anticipation on what Duke's dragon could do. Duke uses a couple of movement crests to move his monster into position, making him come to a stop right in front of Yugi's Winged Dragon. Duke activates the attack by giving up two of his magic crests to make Blast Lizard throw the two small bombs he's holding at Yugi's monster. They exploded on contact and Yugi's back to one monster against five. (By the way, I'm also counting the chest Duke summoned. XD)

"You can do this Yugi!" Téa encouraged. "Just don't let him rattle you!"

"Yeah, what she said!" I said pointing to the brunette. She blinked at me and I just innocently shrugged.

Yugi grimaces at the fact that he only has one monster left again. And Duke's dungeon path was getting closer and closer to his heart points. It was now ¾ of the way over the field. He had to summon more monsters for defence now.

He rolled, everyone crossing their fingers for two summon crests….but he yields nothing. Duke sniggered behind his hand.

On Duke's next roll, he rolled two summons, so he summoned Dark Assailant. He then uses movement crests stored in his crest pool to move Blast Lizard and Gator Dragon right up to Yugi's heart points. I groaned at the sound of Duke chuckling menacingly.

"There's no way out of this!" he taunted and the gang glared. "I mean, I can't even think of a strategy to beat this one! And I'm the one who invented the game…."

There was a loud, shocked gasp escaping everyone's mouths as they stared in Duke's direction. We couldn't believe Yugi was going up against the inventor of Dungeon Dice Monsters! I mean, we only knew he was the owner of the game shop….but he CREATED this game? Holy…

"I…I knew you were it's champion…" Yugi started, "But I never knew you were it's inventor-"

"I'm both!" shouted Duke, banging his fist onto the platform in anger. "And everyone in the whole world should know it! I was supposed to be known as the second-greatest game creator by the now, Yugi! But the only reason I'm not is because of your cheating ways."

I was outraged. What did Yugi do, let alone CHEAT, to make Duke's fantasy not come true? "What did he do to make you hate so much?" I asked aloud, ignoring the death glares the cheerleaders were giving me.

Duke narrowed his eyes at all of us before resting them onto Yugi. There were sparks of visible anger in them, like he would take a rifle and try to knock Yugi down right now. "I dedicated my life to creating Dungeon Dice Monsters." he said angrily but with control, "I spent all my free time perfecting it's game play and fine-tuning its rules. When I was finished, I knew I had created a masterpiece. I decided to send a copy of the game to my idol, Maximillion Pegasus, and see if we can be partners. I waited days for his reply but when I got home one day, I saw the e-mail! He said he read my proposal. He said he wanted to fly me out in his personal helicopter so we could discuss the game in person! The very next day, I was brought to Pegasus' Island, Duelist Kingdom. I could hardly believe it, all my hard work was paying off!

"When we met, Pegasus immediately challenged me to a game of Dungeon Dice Monsters. I expected him to be good, but he was phenomenal. It was his first time playing the game and he completely overpowered me. I was amazed at his skills. When he won the game, he asked me if I wanted partner with him. I said I'd be honoured and the deal was sealed!

"He said he would draw out the official contract after he was finished hosting a tournament on his Island. The tournament that you were in, Yugi. And ever since you beat him there, I haven't been able to contact him at all! Everything that I've worked for was shattered that day. And it's all your fault!"

"You don't know what kind of man Pegasus was at all!" Yugi argued, beginning to understand why Duke was so against him but not understanding why he had to take it out with revenge.

"He was a great man!" Duke shot back. "Until you came along and broke his spirit with your dirty, cheating ways! And now I'll get my revenge by breaking you!"

I nervously gulped and looked to where Yugi as standing. He gave Duke a silent glare which probably hid everything he wanted to say. It wasn't Yugi's fault Pegasus used the power of his Millennium Eye to try and win. THAT was cheating! Yugi played honourably, he deserved to win! And thank god he did. Or else the world would have been in jeopardy.

"I've never cheated at anything in my entire life." he said truthfully. And it's true. Yami, in the ancient past as Pharaoh, never cheated. And I knew him too well that he wouldn't start now. He was honourable in everything he did. That was one thing quality that made him a really successful Pharaoh.

Duke didn't believe what he said. "There was no way anyone could've beaten Pegasus without cheating!" he argued.

"Your hero worship of Pegasus has completely blinded you to the truth!"

"No Yugi. I can see perfectly. And I see a cheater who's about to be retired from Duel Monsters. Now roll, you fraud!"

Yugi held up the dice for the turn. "I will roll!" Then he rolled the dice. "And I will defeat you!"

The dice came to a stop and Yugi managed to roll two summons. "There." he declared with a determined smile. "I've rolled two 3-level summoning crests. Dimension the dice!" He pressed the dice into his mat and summoned his new monster. "And unlock, Thunderball!"

A round, bowling ball with arms, legs, and a head appeared from within the dice. Duke gave the monster a thoughtful look, but there was that mysterious look to his face again. He knew something…but what?

_It could be another special attack_… I thought, staring at Duke, trying to read through him but it wouldn't work, _Maybe this monster Yugi just summoned has one._

Duke's next roll gives him one attack and two movement crests. He moves the Gator Dragon and Blast Lizard into position, right in front of Yugi's heart points!

"Man! His heart points are in danger!" Tristan yelled over to us. Téa and I gave each other nervous glances and looked over at the duel shivering slightly in fright. Yugi was already so far behind. If he lost a heart point already, there might not be a chance to win!

"Gator Dragon! Attack his heart points with Swamp Fire Blast!" The dragon drew back his head and shot a ball of red and orange flames right at Yugi. He covered his face with his arms as the blast came into contact. One of the hearts immediately stopped glowing and became a dull brown colour, meaning Yugi only has…two heart points left now.

**HP: Duke: 3/Yugi: 2**

While our jaws were hanging low to the floor in shock, Duke's cheerleaders grabbed a hold of Joey and made him a prop for their cheer. "We love Duke! He's so cute! When he smiles he-"

But Joey wasn't about to let them take control of him. He shot from out of their arms and exploded in a fit of rage, "STOP! Won't you all shut up?", making the cheerleaders let go of him, and fall to the floor. "My friend's in real trouble here!"

The cheerleaders slowly got up and gave Joey a sharp, almost knife-edged glare. He immediately regretted the outburst because now, they were trying to pull him, literally, apart. But Téa and I came to the rescue in time, again.

"You let go of the dog…" I threatened, giving the girls a fiery glare which instead of giving them shivers down their spines, just made the room go hot. "And none of you…will get hurt. Understand…?"

They dropped him. Joey clambered to his feet, gave the girls a huff, and before they could try tearing him to shreds again, he quickly dived behind Téa who managed to keep the cheerleaders away because she was giving them a sharp glare too.

Duke's chuckling made everyone face him. He spread his arms wide as if welcoming the thought of victory. "Now you only have two more heart points Yugi!" he cried for joy, indicating with his hand the number two. "But not for long, 'cause my monsters are already line up to take them out in the next round!"

"This is bad…" muttered Yugi under his breath.

"The world is about to see you lose, Yugi!" Duke taunted. "Then you'll be forced to retire from Duel Monsters in shame! Pegasus will be avenged, and you'll be exposed as the sham that you are!"

Yugi held the dice firmly in his hands. There was no way he was about to let Duke get to his head! He wouldn't let that happen? Everyone looked on in worry. Was this really going to make Yugi lose? For the first time in history?

"C'mon…" I murmured. "We know you can do this…."

_What can I do? _Yugi thought. _Duke's got more monsters, more dungeon path, and more heart points than me. And he's in a position to strike again. How can i possible win? How can I beat Duke at his own game?_

_Everyone's counting on you man. _I said into my mind. _Don't let us down…_

**

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Author's Note: **HI GUYS! Hope you liked that chapter! I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO PUT THAT UP! IT was just that school started and I had to wait for the weekend for updating. Hope you liked it though. Sorry there aren't a lot of cheers in this one. Since Duke was explaining his story, I couldn't think of a place to put one in. But if you have a cool cheer I can use somewhere, ANYWHERE in the following chapters, PLEASE MESSAGE ME! I will most likely love to use an idea and I promise to give you credit! Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated! Thanks! ^^

DD0D4B32-C990-715C-844B-09347090FAE2

1.02.28


	40. Yugi vs Duke Part 3

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Here's the next chapter in this series. Wow…it's been a year and I'm so close to finishing Season 1. XD LOL. But I have that as good news and this as bad news: since school had started, I think I will only have time to update during the weekend. I know it suck's but you'll have to wait. Thank you so much for being patient and I WILL try and get these chapters up on a regular basis. Thank you!

AHHH! I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED! I got the flu, twisted knee, and I missed a day of school because of the flu so I had to make it up, then I had a science test that I had to study as much as I could for. I'm really sorry! Hope you guys understand! Thanks for being so patient with me!

**Revisions!: **OH HEY! I revised chapter one: The Awakening. Check it out and tell me how it is! Please and thank you! ^^

**Disclaimer of Yu-Gi-Oh!. **Fan fiction, and I am getting NO money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**

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**Dungeon Dice Monsters-Freedom and Title on the Line Chapter 39**

The cheerleaders ranting their voices off for Duke now began a cheer just for his win over Joey. They had nerves to start cheering all over again while they knew Téa and I were still in the building. They probably didn't want to let Duke down. And what about the fact that their idol was blaming ours for making Pegasus go into hiding because of a loss? Even if he was a champion and creator of the modern version of this game, there was a chance in the world that he could lose. Because no matter what the rank tells people, there's always a chance when someone can lose. Even for Yugi and Yami…dare I say it…but I wish I didn't have to because of enemies who'd probably want something from him like they did in the past, for that he needs to win. But it's all up to Destiny. If Fate wants her way, it'll happen. Just like how it's my Fate always to lose to Yami. No matter how strong I become, I will never win in a duel.

Not that I would want to go against him in the first place unless it was a friendly game or something. And that subject isn't something I had time to focus on at the time. Right now, we needed to keep Yugi on his feet, no matter how much Duke taunted and accused, because everyone else knew he won against Pegasus, truly fair and square. No cheating involved and he never even thought of it. As long as we believe he'll win, because he never cheated, he will. And because if he didn't….I just might lose something else along with the day for our date…my sanity. xD

Joey didn't appreciate the fact that all these cheerleaders did was cheer cheesy stuff over to their 'hero'. He especially hated the fact of being used as a mascot and a punching bag for words. It seemed to me like they were so full of themselves and so over obsessed with Duke that they think he'll win no matter what Yami or Yugi think of to try and beat him. And when they use Joey as a prop, like a hammer for the ground, for their cheers, then I begin to feel my anger boil even more. It wasn't fair. Yami and Yugi just learned the rules to the game while Duke was the champion who already knew the rules, because he was the inventor to begin with!

Let's just get back to the chase. Joey's sitting on the floor with his legs and arms crossed and his face twisted into an annoyed sneer. An anime anger mark pounded on the side of his head from the cackling voices of the cheerleaders.

"_Devlin won the bet!_

_Joey lost now he's just a pet!_

_The dumbest dog you've ever met!"_

Joey growled and shot to his feet, raising an arm into the air in anger before yelling, "Am not!" The girls backed up a bit.

"Uh oh! It's a rabid dog!" One of them yelled. I knew she was just pretending to be scared, because of the lame joke and because of her unnaturally high voice. Then they closed in on him and glared deathly. "Guess we'll have to get him a muzzle." they taunted. Joey immediately blinked and waved his hands in front of his face defensively.

"No, no, no. That isn't necessary girls." he said quickly, hoping to stop the girls from doing whatever they were about to. Maybe it was to use him as a driver club for golf. Or maybe ice for a rink. O_O But I have no idea how that can happen.

"Why don't you go back to cheering for your man Dukey over there." Joey suggested hopefully, pointing back towards the ebony haired boy Yugi was up against. "Here, I'll even start you off. Uh….Duke! Duke! He's so great! …Make no mistake!…Better than cake…"

Duke reached a hand to his hair and let a smug look appear onto his face as he watched Joey's attempt to cool the girls off.

I simply glared at the whole drama and crossed my arms in anger. "I can't believe they're pushing him around…" I muttered under my breath, but Tristan and Téa still heard me and they nodded. "It's like…they LIKE making him lose his dignity. To make him FORGET that he's a human being!"

Tristan agreed with me on what I was saying. "I can't wait until Yugi wins." he said to us. "Then we can finally get Joey out of that dog suit!"

Téa nodded and held the pom-poms in her hands closer to her in sudden anxiety and her eyebrows furrowed slightly in thought. "Yeah. Duke's all about humiliating his opponents and blaming Yugi for everything that had happened to him."

"What with his career not taking off in the direction he wanted it to go and…what not…" I snarled the last part as I saw Duke looking our way. He gave me a sweet smile, one that I could see meant truly, but because of everything happening, I simply shrugged at him and turned towards the cheerleaders going after Joey. Téa followed suit.

Joey was on his knees, covering his head with his hands and cowering in fear at the girl's feet. They towered above him with wide grins and eyes blazing with mischievousness. By the looks they were giving the poor blonde, it seemed to us that they wanted to devour him all at once. Eat him piece by painful piece until he was nothing but a cheap, worn-down dog suit left at the bottom of a pile of air.

Before they could begin planning their pounce and who would get what, xD, I placed my right foot onto Joey's back and put my hands onto my hips. Cocking an eyebrow, I asked, "Would you like some punch…as your drink to go with this boy?" I asked them, not in a full joking manner but a full warning manner.

They merely looked at me confused and blinked. Honestly…did these guys not know what I meant by PUNCH…?

I put my foot back to the floor and began walking around Joey's bent over form with Téa following me. She understood immediately what I was thinking on doing. A full on cheerleading competition.

We started with minor and small steps for cheerleading but as we went more into the routine, it became much more intense. (Kind of like the time Téa and Yami went to the arcade and Téa danced on the DDR. XD You know all the dance moves she did? Yeah…what I wanted to say was that their cheers have cheers like normal cheerleading but for more intensity, they're going to be dance moves. A lot like what Téa did on the DDR. XD LOL. Just letting you know. XD) We ended up giving the other girls a scared look to the annoying one they were already giving to Joey.

"**More power to the hour.**

**More bounce to the ounce.**

**He is the Mighty Yugi.**

**And he'll boom, knock you out!**

**Boom, boom, knock you out!"**

The three girls huddled around each other trying to figure out a routine that would beat ours…but I know they will never beat it. Because Téa was already experienced at the subject, and because my fighting exercises kept me light on my feet and I was able to use many moves (like twists and flips in mid air), we were able to put our ideas together and were able to create something incredible. The opposition with only slight hesitation, backed away. Hah. They know they can't win THIS one. XD

Duke and Yugi had stopped in the middle of their game to give us our judging. Or that's what they thought WE thought. But I knew it was a whole other reason. Duke I could understand…he was a boy obsessed over impressing girls and right now, he was staring at us on how much we were probably impressing HIM. But…a couple of times when I saw Yugi looking our way…I can't really explain it, but…it feels different with him. My face goes all red and I almost stumble on a move. I didn't understand what blushing has to do with us doing dance routines to school the other team.

To tell whoever reads this thing, (xD), I feel….I honestly feel very, very different around Yami. I don't know WHY THE HELL THAT'S HAPPENNING….and I don't completely understand it either…but I hope I can soon. It's giving my heart and soul a shiver every time I look at his amazing eyes.

…holy…did I say amazing…? Now I know something's wrong with me…I'm saying stuff I wasn't sure I said! .

Joey left us to our own duel and shouted over the sidelines to Yugi, "This isn't about me anymore! You have to fight to defend your honour!" Duke and Yugi snapped out of the temporary daze they inflicted onto their brains all of a sudden and returned to looking at their own strategies.

Yugi nodded to tell Joey he understood and then went back to searching for a good strategy to use against Duke in the current predicament. The help screen off to the right, away from all the other technicality of the game, caught his attention, and he immediately looked around in it's contents. He searched for special abilities on his monsters and what all the small and large numbers mean on the dice. It came to help him a lot…but there was also something else on his mind…

* * *

Yami looked back to Sarah and Téa working their heads off to support him and Yugi. He hadn't been able to feel that sort of friendship in the Millennium Puzzle for 5,000 years, but now he wonders if he's had it before then too, or not. Then his thoughts ended him back to what Sarah said back at the Virtual Game.

'Why…?' he said, forgetting the mind link he shared with Yugi was on. His eyes were still on Sarah. The way she moved was familiar…like he's seen that rhythm before…but where?

Yugi appeared into ghost form next to the confused Pharaoh. 'Hm? Why what?'

Yami didn't mind if he kept the link on, on purpose. It's been bugging him since the moment they came back from rescuing Kaiba. Maybe he should talk about this, but in the middle of this game?

'I'll think about it later…' he thought to Yugi, those crimson eyes still gazing upon the one person clouding his mind. _She's connected to something…but I wish I knew what… _Yugi nodded understandingly and went back to his before position.

He scoured the help screen again, occasionally glancing around for inspiration on a way to beat Duke at his own game. When his eyes scanned past Thunderball, he returned his gaze back and gave it a curious look. Typing away into the help screen, a window popped up onto the desktop with Thunderball in the middle and three magic crests circling around it. A small smirk appeared onto his face.

* * *

I turned around to give a twirl to the move Téa just made up and was just able to see something flicker on Yami. I landed on my feet and then spun around, blinking furiously to see what looked like a smirk on his face. Duke stiffened when he noticed what I was looking at and immediately followed my gaze. I pointed and jumped up and down, unable to contain the sudden growing excitement in the pit of my stomach.

"Yugi's got a plan! Yugi's got a plan!" I sang cheerfully, locking my hands with Téa's and spinning us around, giggling and smiling at our friend's near triumph.

To try and keep form anyone seeing him sweat, Duke raised an eyebrow and gave Yugi and smart smirk. "You've already lost one heart point, Yugi." he sneered. "And my monsters are poised for another attack on the rest of them. Unless you want to embarrass yourself even further, you would surrender, not gamble on what new move you just thought of."

HAH! Surrender my-

"Oh no Duke." he said, an incredible smirk dancing dangerously on his lips. He bounced the dice he was holding for his round once in his hand before throwing them onto the mat, trying to aim for what he wanted. "I have an idea. Go, dice roll!"

They came to a stop in the middle and from the look on Yugi's face…I say he got what he wanted.

"It seems I have rolled two magic crests, Duke." he said, giving the dice a triumphant look before giving his opponent a determined one. "But since they both have times two multiplier emblems, each of their values are doubled. Giving me four magic crests."

Duke held his head. "Holy! You got the multiplying concept down!"

"And now, I'll use three of the four crests I just rolled, to activate Thunderball's special attack!" Yugi's monster suddenly folded its arms, legs, and head back into its body and began rolling down the path straight into Duke's Blast Lizard, destroying it.

"But I'm not done yet!" said Yugi. "Next, I'll take three magic crests I saved in my crest pool to activate Thunderball's special attack again!" Three more magic crests faded into his monster and he began striking again, this time straight into Duke's Gator Dragon, making his attack force, no more.

"He's got it! He's got it! Oh no, he HAD it!" Téa and I cried, waving our arms around in the air, smiles tearing our faces apart. Tristan whooped for his friend's win for the round and Joey held up a cardboard sign with Duke's face and a big cross drawn over it. The cheerleaders were shaking in their skirts.

Yugi showed a smirk to Duke who was now giving him a scowl. "Ok Duke." he said, holding up a fist in determination. "Now we have a game."

* * *

Duke nonchalantly ran a hand through his hair and condescendingly tells Yugi, "Not bad Yugi. You used that help screen to come up with a pretty impressive move there. But still, I wouldn't get any ideas about winning this match. You'll never know Dice Monsters as well as I do. After all, I'm the guy who invented the game."

"That's true." agreed Yugi, for a moment before explaining what he intended to. "Just as your idol Pegasus invented the Duel Monsters' card game. But inventing a game doesn't mean that you can't be beaten at it, Devlin. But perhaps my beating of Pegasus was the exception to the rule, perhaps you are better."

Duke smiled lightly and cocked his head to the side. "Oh. Why thank you." he said. But then he realized what Yugi was trying to do. "Huh? Hey wait! You only beat Pegasus by cheating! Don't try and fool me!"

"No Duke," Yugi said, trying to set his mind straight. "You're fooling yourself."

"Yeah right, cheat." he growled, picking up his next dice for the round. He rolled them and wasn't able to summon any monsters. But he still shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Cool. I'll save those in my crest pool. You're move."

Yugi held the dice for his next turn in his palm for a moment before letting them roll out of his fingers. "Excellent! Two summons and a movement crest!" he cried, smiling at the outcome of the roll.

Téa and I shot up our arms and yelled for joy. "Way to go, Yugi!" we shouted to him, dancing around Tristan and Joey. They stood in the middle, blinking their heads off at how much energy we could have to burn off. Duke's cheerleaders stopped and stared. They must have known they lost…muahaha. Until next round! XD

Yami brought one of the dice up over his head and then pressed it into the mat dramatically making it lengthy. "Dimension the dice!" he cried, making a soft, blue, glow appear onto the field, revealing his newest monster. "Now, behold the monster that I've unlocked. I've summoned, the Knight of Twin Swords!" A male fighter with purple and blue armour materialized onto the field, posing with his twin swords to the side and glaring at his opponents mercilessly.

"**Yugi's got it here.**

**Yugi's got it all. **

**The sheer skill, the sheer fight,**

**To make his opponent shiver in fright.**

**How he does it,**

**We can't find out,**

**All we know,**

**Is we crave for more.**

**Let's get 'em Yugi!"**

Téa and I waved our pom-poms around enthusiastically, hoping so very much to keep Yugi's spirits high. We didn't want him to think that just because Duke had girls cheering for him that it doesn't mean he can't have any cheering for him. We wanted him to win, not because he could get me and Joey out of our current predicament, hell no, if he lost, he would have to give that sleezeball the title King of Games and he would also have to quit from playing Duel Monsters. That can't be let happen. If he wasn't able to play Duel Monsters…he would be devastated. Not to mention…we won't be able to complete the prophecy. Let's hope Destiny intended for him to win.

Yugi blushed slightly after seeing our routine for him. He gave us a small but thankful wave of his hand and smiled. Yugi's spirit form had his arms crossed as he watched the scene with a smile dancing on his lips.

But his monster wasn't even within striking range of any of Duke's monsters. So he saves his spare crest for later.

"So." Duke started, getting ready for some smart talk. "At least you've become skilled in conserving your crests. It's about time…"

Joey held the cardboard sign he made earlier in his arms again but this time, there's a huge, black question mark drawn on it. Joey himself had his chin in his hands and a confused sort of look to his face. He was staring off into space when I decided to try and figure out what's wrong with the boy. I blinked and tightened my hair in it's ponytail. "Dude?" I asked, coming up to him with my hips in hand. "What's wrong?"

Joey gave me a moment's glance before continuing on his thinking. "Man….crest this, crest that…" he began, and I knew this was probably going to be a Joey moment. XD "I'm totally lost."

Duke overheard and shot back a smart ass remark. "Guess it's true. You really can't teach an old dog new tricks." he said, staring venomously toward the blonde.

Joey growled low in his throat. I touched his shoulder lightly and the muscles in his neck settled down. "Man. Don't let him get to your head." I said, shaking my head.

Téa nodded, agreeing with me. "Yeah." she said. "You should just ignore him. Everyone here knows you're not a dog Joey. Because you take it seriously is the reason they keep coming back to call you that again."

Joey and I blinked in unison. Up until today, Téa has never made this good of a speech. Well…for me anyway. The others had another good speech from her about the friendship symbol she came up with for all of them. When they told me about their bad experiences with Kaiba after rescuing him from his Virtual World, I thought it was absolutely awesome. It brings commitment between them all. That no matter what, they would help each other.

…I felt horrible that I didn't have that kind of commitment…but maybe I'll be able to show them some when I get the chance later on. After this.

"Hm…you're right Téa." Joey said, giving his friend a smile. "Thanks."

The brunette returned the smile and nodded happily. She was seriously an awesome person. I can't believe she's the person I'm cheerleading with. XD

"Come on, dog boy." Duke retorted, twirling one of his bangs around his finger. Joey almost twitched but he remembered what we said. "It's Dungeon Dice Monsters' rule number one. You're allowed to take the dice you roll, store them in your crest pool, and then use them later on."

Joey pounded his fists together in sudden realization. "Oh yeah!" he said. "I remember that rule now!"

"How about you concentrate on dog rules!" the cheerleaders said, suddenly coming up behind him. Duke said something to boost their spirits…oh wow…

"If you're gonna learn, learn how to obey our commands." the short one with dark hair said, placing her hands onto her hips.

The third dark blond one crossed her arms and demanded, "Now sit boy."

Joey gave each of them a blinking look before sitting down onto the floor, whimpering.

I got mad. "Joey Wheeler!" I shouted, making him jump to his feet and hold up his hands in front of his face. "You know better than that!"

Joey shrugged. "Eh. You bet I do." he said simply, watching the now glaring and growling cheerleaders. He took a cautious step backward and blinked again.

Téa gave Joey a sympathetic pat on the shoulder to which I just smiled and Tristan blinked. X]

Duke puts a chin in hand and watched Yugi type away at the help screen. "You're catching on pretty fast. So I'll just have to take things up a notch." he said. He rolled his dice for the turn and summoned Battle Ox with the two summons he just rolled. Then he used four of the stored movement crests he kept in his crest pool to move his monster into position to attack Yugi's Knight of Twin Swords. "My Battle Ox gains ten points of attack strength when attacking Warriors like your night Yugi!" Duke said, right before activating an attack. We shot out just when the monster was about to get crushed but Yugi played something to make it stop.

"Knight of Twin Swords!" Yugi cried. "Go into defensive mode!" The Knight bent down onto one knee and held his swords up in an X. The Battle Ox's axe came into contact with the swords and it repelled back. We cheered loudly at his conquer.

Duke is furious-Yugi learned how to defend!

"Now it's your turn Yugi!" I shouted to him, waving a white pom-pom around in the air.

Yugi nodded and rolled his next set of dice for the turn. "I use two of the attack crests I just rolled to allow my Knight of Twin Swords to attack your Battle Ox, Duke!" The Knight slashed his sword, once to get rid of half its attack, and then twice to rid it from the field once and for all. Everyone on the sidelines cheered again for our friend's victory on that round.

Yugi crossed his arms. "It's your turn Duke, but this time, you might want to stay clear of my monsters." he said.

But Duke didn't seem so fazed. He actually started smirking and chuckling evilly, which got Yugi to narrow his eyes at him in annoyed confusion.

"So you were about to defeat my Battle Ox, Yugi. So what!" Duke said, after finishing his little laugh which got me glaring at him all over again. The rest of the group nervously looked to each other and blinked.

Duke leaned against his side of the platform. "Hn. My last brilliant move wasn't just about creating another monster, it was about building out my dungeon path."

Yugi faltered. "Your dungeon?"

"That's right! Just take a look at your dungeon path, ya dunce!"

Yugi gave the field a quick look. "What about it Duke?" he asked, getting slightly irritated by his opponent.

Duke smiled thoughtfully at the him. "Hm. I'll tell you what, Yugi. "It's been stopped dead in it's tracks."

Everyone stiffened at what Duke was talking about. I looked over the railing along with everyone else to get a better look. Yugi looked over his own side of the platform.

"See my red dungeon path?" Duke asked, gesturing to his single line of dungeon path going down the middle of the field. "Do you see how it reaches from one side of the board all the way across to the other? Creating one solid line in front of your blue path? Well guess what Yugi! You're dungeon path can't cross it. And that means your monsters can't get to my heart points on the other side of it! You're stuck Yugi! You can't build your dungeon path forward anymore! You're completely boxed in!"

Now that he mentioned it, he was freakin' right! His dungeon path went from one end to the other, while Yugi's was being blocked! Duke made sure Yugi's path stayed put while his was exceeding! And now, since Yugi had to dimensionalize dice in order to summon monsters and create dungeon paths, he can't use the other side of the board to do it! Duke just trapped him in!

"That bastard!" I punched the railing with my fist, hard enough to leave bruises. "He's got him trapped!"

Téa and the rest seemed slightly confused. "What's going on here?" she asked, watching Yugi stare at his dungeon path, silently wishing this weren't true.

"I'm not sure I follow it myself, Téa." Tristan said quietly.

Only Yugi and I understood what just happened. I cooled down long enough to explain to everyone else.

"Duke's red dungeon path extends from one side of the board all the way to the other." I said to the two. They nodded, understanding so far. "Now, since one dungeon path can't overlap another, and Yugi's blue path is behind Duke's red one, Yugi can no longer continue to build his path forward."

Téa's eyes widened in shock. "But if all of Yugi's monsters are stuck behind Duke's path, he can get his monsters to Duke's heart points!"

Joey slumped down against the wall. "Then that means…that I'm stuck in this costume." he said defeatedly. I didn't want to accept it myself. Going on a date with that creep? But how is Yugi going to get past this?

"There's gotta be some way Yugi can still win." Tristan said hopefully, looking around the board for any hints.

"Well actually," Duke started, "there is. Yugi could always try cruising his monsters through my dungeon path."

Joey shot up like a bolt. "He can go through your path?" he asked incredulously.

Duke shrugged. "Sure. If he doesn't mind running into my monsters along the way, because he'll have to get through all of them in order to get to my heart points."

"Every one?" Téa asked sullenly.

Tristan said, "But that means all of Yugi's monsters will get pulverized."

Duke smirked. "No joke!" he said, happy he's gotten the upper hand now after all of Yugi's incredible moves. The dice for his turn appeared into the right hand slot. "It's my roll now." As he picked up his dice, he stiffened for a moment and I saw a smirk on his face again.

I glanced over to Yugi who also noticed something different with Duke and when he looked my way, I said to him with my eyes, _Stay on your guard._ He nodded.

Duke's smirk grew. "Just perfect." he muttered overjoyed. He held up a black level-three die in two of his fingers. "Know what this is Yugi?" he asked. I had a very bad feeling that he had something else on his mind now. As if Yugi didn't already have enough problems on his mind.

Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Looks like…a black die." he said.

Duke held up the dice for everyone to see. "A very rare black die to be exact. With it, I'm to finish you off and end this game!"

Everyone gasped as Duke's words hit us. Was he really going to win? With that ingle black die at his disposal? What was his plan to begin with?

Duke rolled his dice and when he knew the outcome but stalled on purpose just to keep everyone anxious, Yugi asked, "Well? What is it?" Duke ran a hand through his hair and smiled.

"…a pair of summons…" he said. Then he pressed the dice into the mat and cried, "Dimension the dice!"

The black die appeared onto the larger board for everyone to see. "Now you'll see the power of the rare black dice!" he claimed, as the box began to open up and reveal what's inside. Everyone watched in anxiety.

Joey was the only one who had the nerve to say what was on our mind. "Oh man. What would Yugi have to contend with now?"

The box unfolded and became more dungeon path for Duke, but in the middle was something we've never seen before. A shimmering, black hole spinning on itself.

"Behold!" cried Duke with triumph "The Warp Vortex!"

I didn't like the name of that. It sounded like some sort of portal or something.

Yugi leaned over his platform. "Warp what?" he asked.

"Warp Vortex." Duke said impatiently. "Guess I'll have to explain this now too.

"The dark hole you see before you is a special summoning only a rare black die can produce. It's a cosmic portal. When monsters jump into it, they're sent to another place on the board instantly. This other place is determined wherever the second vortex is laid. That's where the monster pops out. It takes two vortexes to complete the circuit, creating a warp tube! And guess what Yugi? I've already got the second location all picked out. Deep within your territory and well behind your defences. It's the perfect spot for easy access to your heart points! Now, all that stands between you and defeat is the time it takes for my automator to spit out the next rare black die!"

My heart started beating up against my rip cage as I stared at the Warp Vortex Duke just put on the field. Everyone else seemed to be on edge too. It's not everyday you see Yugi this close to losing…

"And I have a feeling…" Duke continued slyly, "that it won't be long. So start working on your retirement speech."

There's not much he can do. Yugi's just going to have to build up his defences.

Yugi rolls for his next turn and everyone sees he's got two summons. "Good roll Yugi!" Téa and I cheered together.

Yugi held up a die. "Dimension the dice!" he cried, pressing it into the mat. "No Devlin, let's see how well I've learned your game."

The die unfolded onto the board and the monster Yugi summoned stood up from his crouching position. "I summon the Strike Ninja!" he said. "His high speed allows him to move three spaces for each movement crest."

Duke rubbed his chin thoughtfully all over again. "High speed huh?" he said. "Nice try but he doesn't come close to the warp speed my vortex can give me."

There was a small beep and Duke's next three dice came into the automator. "Speaking of which…" Duke said, his eyes falling onto the dice. He picked one up and held it up to see if it was truly there. "Check this out…"

"What is it?" Yugi asked.

"It's my second black die." he says, allowing a smirk to form onto his lips again.

I stepped back, along with Yugi and my eyes widened.

"Now I'll roll to complete the warp tube, and then finish you off for good." he smirked.

"Oh no!" Téa cried. Tristan clenched his fist. Joey began shivering with fright and the cheerleaders behind him cheered in triumph.

Duke threw the dice onto the mat, letting them leave through his fingers. "Go, dice roll!"

If Duke summons another Warp Vortex, Yugi's finished. I thought miserably, but I kept some Faith within me. I saw Yugi stiffen slightly and wait for the roll's outcome.

The dice stopped….and there were no summons. The cheerleaders whined while Téa and I began cheering in their place for Yugi.

"No Warp Vortex." Yugi smirked, thankful that he has another turn to think of a way out of this.

"You lucked out." Duke said simply, not really happy at all but there was still a small smirk on his face like he knew he would still win. "This time."

Everyone let out a breath they were holding. I nearly toppled over, almost falling into Joey.

When Yugi's dice automator slid three dice into the slot, Yugi looked over at it and looked slightly confused for a moment. "What? It's a…" Then he smirked and looked to Duke, an idea forming in his own mind now, thanks to Duke's strategy.

"Devlin." he called. Duke looked up at the sound of his name being called. "I just found a major hole in your plan."

Duke placed his hands on his hips, waiting for Yugi to scare him.

Yugi held up one of his own dice. Oh my god…it was-

"Or as you might prefer…a Vortex! Thanks to this…" Yami was holding a black die! He had one with his dice too!

Duke retaliated shouting, "A black die?" He couldn't believe Yugi had one!

"Go, dice roll!" Yugi cried, throwing his dice onto the mat. He rolled two. Summoning. Crests.

"Excellent." Yugi said, looking over his dice. "A pair of summoning crests." Duke cringed as Yugi dimensionalized the dice into the mat. "Now I summon a Warp Vortex. So I can have easy access to your heart points Duke!"

I jumped up and down, waving my pom-poms around. "GO YUGI!" I shouted happily, making my way around everyone. They cheered along with me.

"Strike Ninja, jump into the Warp Vortex!" Yugi said, and the Ninja did a few fancy moves before running into the Vortex so fast, it would make your head spin if you look too long.

"Wow…he really is fast." Joey murmured in amazement.

The Warp vortex blasted purple rays into the air before letting the Strike Ninja climb out from out of the black hole Duke set up. Devlin watched in anguish as he attack his Ryu-Kishin. He's horrified! Now all Yugi has to do is roll a movement crest, and his Strike Ninja will be in reach of Duke's heart points!

In desperation of not letting the Strike Ninja attack his heart points, Duke tried to roll two summoning crests….but he failed! Now all Yugi needs is that movement crest!

When Yugi rolled, he didn't just get one, he got two! He used one of them to let the Strike Ninja advance forward and by using an attack crest stored in his crest pool, he attack Duke directly at his heart point! One of his shimmering heart points is now just a dull black colour thanks to Strike Ninja's kunai attack.

Téa and I started that cheering routine all over again. Out of new adrenaline, we tried sharper moves and they looked even cooler to show how much of a good thing this was! Joey even tried a few things with us, but being in a costume, he looked like a mascot. All we need is a team of sport's players and we're on a school team. But then again, Yugi is just good enough without a team.

"No! My heart point!" Duke cried, holding his head with his hands. Yugi crossed his arms and stood there smirking in conquerment.

"Duke! Not only can you get rid of heart points, but I can as well. And you'd better get used to it because I'm going to bring you down!"

I jumped up for a second. "Oh hey! That was so close to rhyming!" The rest of the group sweat dropped.

Duke smirked. "Hmph. It's been so long since any one got rid off one of my heart points.

"But I assure you…" he said, going back to glowering, "that it won't happen again!" He picked up his dice for the turn and threw them onto the mat. He rolled two level three summons. That meant he could summon a high level monster.

"Now…Yugi…I summon my most powerful monster." Duke said slyly, while pressning the die into the gridded mat. "I summon, Orgoth the Relentless!"

A huge, bulky knight rose from within the unfolding die. He stood up, towering over the playing field like he was the master of it all. His diamond edged sword shone under the room's lighting, waiting to see who it can kill.

"Now I'll use two stored magic crests to raise Orgoth's attack power." Duke said, decreasing the number on his list down two. "Then two movements to move him directly in front of your Strike Ninja. Orgoth, send his best monster to Oblivion!"

The group and I tensed. "Oh god no!" I cried, holding my head, "Yugi's monster gonna go through hell!"

"If his attack succeeds," Joey agreed, "then the only monster he could get even near Duke's heart points will be gone!"

Yugi watched in horror as Orgoth raised his sword, ready to bring it down to destroy his monster. Moving his fingers swiftly over the keyboard, he typed in what his Strike Ninja can do. Something appeared onto the screen, giving Yugi an idea. He quickly activated the effect and just as Orgoth swung down his sword, an explosion of dust billowed into the air. (Holographic effects. XD)

Duke began chuckling menacingly. "You're monster's history!" he claimed happily, overjoyed at his triumph.

"I don't think so." Yugi suddenly said, making Duke blink. "Take a closer look."

Everyone bent over whatever was in front of them to see what Yugi meant. When Téa gasped, then we realized what happened.

"There!" she cried, pointing to the dark figure hiding behind the shadows of the smoke. "In the smoke! It's the Strike Ninja!"

"But…how?" Duke exclaimed. "Orgoth's attack didn't get through!"

Yugi crossed his arms. "It was all thanks to the effect I played Duke." he said. "I played one trap crest from my crest pool and activated his dodging technique. That way, my strike Ninja was unharmed from your attack."

Everyone cheered but Duke banged his fists onto his grid mat. "I can't believe he's taught himself such an advanced move! That defence manoeuvre was high class!"

Yugi took a hold of his own dice for the turn. "I'm not done my assault!" he said, rolling the dice. He rolled two movements crests and a magic crest. "I now use a movement crest to position him into place, and an attack crest to let Strike Ninja attack your heart points, again!"

Strike Ninja did what he was told and threw more of his knives at the second glowing heart. It turned black too and Duke was left devastated.

I smirked. "Yugi's in the lead now Duke!" I shouted to him. "You'd better watch out!"

Duke growled ferociously. He rolls, swearing his revenge. "Orgoth, attack the Strike Ninja and end this feud of many!" That diamond edged sword came back down again, but this time, Yugi didn't have a trap crest to save him, so his monster as destroyed.

"Oh man…" I murmured, sliding down to my knees. "This isn't going so well anymore…"

Yugi glared at the spot his monster once stood while Duke kept chuckling terribly. "None of your monsters can hold against Orgoth, Yugi!" he claimed, smiling so mischievously, it scared me. "Now nothing will stop me from beating you now!"

I couldn't believe it…could this monster seriously come and destroy Yugi? How much farther can he hold up? I can't even stand on my own feet and I'm not the one fighting. I can't imagine how it's like to have so much pressure on you and still be able to stand and fight…

"You can do this Yugi!" Joey cried, holding me up by my shoulders. "Don't let him destroy your honour!"

**

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**CREDITS!: **HEY GUYS! I need to give some credits here! Thank you so very much: **Kita Kudai**! This reader gave me the first bolded cheer for Yugi! THANKS SO MUCH! ^^

**Howlingwolf26**? Don't worry man. I haven't forgotten about you! Your idea will come into play next chapter! Thanks for reading everyone! ^^ xD

xD

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Author's Note:

HOLY SHIZZZZ! I'M SO SORRY IT'S BEEN THREE WEEKS! I had the above mentioned problems and then this past week, I ended up flunking a course! So I had to pick myself up and now I'm back on level. Sorry guys! Hope you can forgive me! Please review….I'll take your scolding too. ^^'


	41. One Battle That's Finally Over

**Author's Note: **HELLO MY AWESOME and patient READERS! I'M BACK! XD How are you guys? XD Here's the next and FINAL chapter of Dungeon Dice Monsters. On next, BATTLE CITY! Oh yesh! And with that comes a whole new story file thingie…. XD You'll see it. XD

**Disclaimer.!: **Fanfiction, and I am NOT getting any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

**

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Dungeon Dice Monsters-Freedom and Title on the Line Chapter 40**

**Current HP: Duke: 1/Yugi: 2 **(heh…sorry guys. Forgot to add this in the last chapter. XD I'm such a retard… xD)

I rested my chin onto the railing and gazed at what was laid before me on the duel grid. I saw Duke's red path slithering down the middle of the board with his monsters every few squares apart. It also stretched out towards the sides and made Yugi's blue path stop dead in its tracks. Yugi's monsters were scattered throughout his area of the board and the Warp Vortex in both player's fields sat peacefully to each side, just waiting for one of the monsters to jump inside so it could travel through the Warp tube.

And then there was that ogre of a monster Duke summoned. Orgoth the Relentless. That baka was going to beat Yugi with that thing, not with strategies, but with fierce brutality! That has to be illegal!

"He has to go onto the defensive again." I murmured, sliding to the floor and landing on my knees. I let out a load groan and Joey and Téa each gave me a sympathetic look.

"Hey man." Joey said roughly, pulling me on my shoulders, "You have to get up. Yugi needs you guys to cheer for him and keep his spirits up."

I lazily shook my head, tears begging to come out of my eyes but I wouldn't let them. "It wouldn't make a difference." I said, feeling the determination for Yugi fall slowly off my shoulders and onto an invisible pile on the floor.

Téa pressed her hands to her hips and cocked an eyebrow. "What if I told you Duke wants you to wear a dress for the date?" she said, experimenting her strategy.

I jumped to my feet and looked left and right. "There's no effing way I'm going to a date! Let alone wear a DRESS!" I yelled, glaring at the air.

Joey gave me a pat on the back, making me lean forward. "That's the Sarah we all know and love! Go get 'em guys!"

I squinted my eyes at him and grabbed his suit collar, making him stop and jerk back. "Oh no Spot." I said, making a pet name for him already. I missed the punch he almost gave me across the back of my head. "You have to be a part of this."

Téa giggled slightly. "That's a great idea Sarah!" she said, playing along with my plan. I gave the both of them a smirk and the brunette laughed while the blonde gulped.

"So what are you going to do now Yugi?" Duke asked tauntingly. "Now that my best monster is on the field, and your Strike Ninja is gone, you'll have to start running off just so you could save yourself. But I'm not going to let you. I'll destroy you first before you could get the chance to do anything!"

Tristan cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to Yugi, "Don't let him rattle you man! He's just going to play with your head until you crack! Fight it and you'll beat him!"

Yugi nodded, a little more determined with the fact that Tristan said to be brave. However, the cheerleaders who are cheering for Duke made it hard to concentrate with their squeaky voices and lame cheers.

'I have to go onto the defensive again!' he thinks, holding the dice for his turn up to see. 'Duke's Monster can completely wipe me out if he gets through to my heart points. But if my monsters can hold him back and give me enough time to think of a way through this, then I have a chance of winning.'

Then his eyes caught the dark swirling movements of the Warp Vortex. 'Ugh…but if his monster takes the Wrap Vortex express here then I'll be even more short on time. This is going to be tight.'

He tossed the dice into the air and watched them land onto his mat. "I use the movement crests I just rolled to move my Knight of Twin Swords in front of my heart points to protect them from your monsters." Yugi said, as Yugi's monster did what he was told and held up his swords for position. "That ends my turn."

"**Yugi can win this,**

**He's got it made.**

**It's better if Duke**

**Just went for a whole new game.**

**He's got this! **

**He's got this!**

**He's gonna win!**

**He's so fast,**

**He's gonna make your head spin!**

**You can do this Yugi!"**

Téa and I knew Yugi was in a tight spot, but we also knew that because we were there with him, he was going to win. I wasn't going to let Duke get the satisfaction of winning against him. He was all about telling Yugi off and bragging about how much he doesn't stand a chance. Let's not forget the fact that he thinks Yugi cheated in his duel against Pegasus. HAH! Yami will cheat when HELL FREEZES OVER! (xD) In fact, I don't even think he'll cheat even then.

Duke smirked in amusement. "Looks like it's my turn again." he sighed, making it look like he was bored out of his head. Yugi gave us a grateful nod. Then he rolled for his turn and liked what the results were. "All right! Now I use the movement crests I just rolled to move Orgoth straight to the Warp Vortex!"

Yugi's eyes narrowed as he grit his teeth together. 'Oh no! He's going to send him through!'

Duke grinned devilishly, enjoying the moment as Yugi watched the monster just about ready to step through the vortex. "Get ready Yugi." he said. "Because once my monster enters the Warp Vortex, he'll be sent to your side of the board instantly! And all your hopes will be crushed!

"Now Orgoth, jump into the Warp Vortex!"

The monster did as he was told and walked into the spinning shadows. There were bright purple rays shooting into the air before he completely disappeared into the darkness. Yugi clenched his teeth and turned his head sharply to the left to stare defeat in the eye. Or so Duke thought and wished. But he knew even though he wasn't going to like Orgoth's attacks, he still had to keep going with this game until the end. Joey's and Sarah's lives depended on his victory. They would lose days of their lives doing who knows what for Devlin. (Not to mean anything wrong, or gross by the way. XD LOL.)

As Yugi watched the beast rise from the vortex he laid on his side of the field, Sarah and Téa came back from their little huddle and watched in horror as Duke's monster stood before Yugi's monsters, sizing them up to look like specks of dust while he stood as tall as the Empire State Building.

"Like the way you used the Warp Vortex to move the Strike Ninja to my side of the field," Duke reminds Yugi with a solid smirk on his face, "I'll use it to move Orgoth the Relentless straight through your defences and right at your heart points!"

It was Yugi's turn now. He had to roll enough movement crests so he could position all his monsters for a defence. He rolled the dice he was holding and, getting what he needed at the time, moved all three of his monsters in front of his heart points, hoping for it not to be the end.

"Here I come Yugi!" Duke said, rolling his dice onto the mat. "Now I'm going to use an attack crest to attack your Thunderball!" Orgoth striked his sword through Yugi's monster and it shattered on the board. Duke began chuckling relentlessly. "Two more monsters Yugi!" he cried like he'd already won. "Then you're wide open!"

Tristan sighed heavily and gave his blonde pal a look. "Looks like Joey's going to have to get used to the taste of dog chow." he grumbled, leaning against the railing while the cheerleaders began their routines behind him.

Téa gave him a sympathetic look. "Remember Tristan," she said. "Yugi's been in tougher spots before."

I nodded my head and hugged Joey like he was a big teddy bear. I missed the small blush on his face. "Yeah!" I smiled. "He can win this! Compared to a mind reading maniac, Duke's nothing!" I cupped my mouth with my hands and shouted over the railing, "You can do this Yugi! We got your back 24/7!"

Yugi smiled and gave me a thumbs up. He liked the way we were there for him. Without us, he'd be lost. Yugi nodded as he thought what he did.

'You're right.' he agreed. 'We're lucky to have great friends.'

Yami nodded and let his eyes wander to Sarah again. There was something always pulling him back to her but he didn't quite understand what that force was.

'Hm…maybe you know her from your past?' Yugi asked, reading his mind again.

Yami shook his head, still staring at me while I hugged the blonde who was beginning to feel even hotter in the suit he was wearing. She was so oddly familiar…oh how he wished he knew!

_I'll think about it later… _he thought, carefully looking over the board laid out in front of him. _I have to win her freedom back. Hers and Joey's. Then I can begin to ask any questions._

Yugi nodded and retreated back into the Millennium Puzzle, to stay hidden, but to also stay in contact with Yami.

"Now then." said Yami, holding the dice firmly in his hands. "It's my turn. Go dice roll!" The dice left through his fingers, swiftly moving through them like they were coated with water and jumped twice before landing completely still on the mat. But before he could play any kind of move, Duke snickered.

I groaned and rubbed the heel of my hand over my forehead. "What is that jackass thinking of now?" I asked the ceiling above me, regardless of the lights making me blink.

That smirk on Duke's face looked so permanent, I was almost scared. I mean, he's had that on for the majority of the duel and it's still not fazing Yugi. He's a strong person. I thought. He's really strong. We're giving him so little credit for what he's actually capable of.

I looked back to the duel to see what Devlin was laughing at. "What's wrong Duke?" I asked casually. "Cat got your tongue?"

He gave me a short glare then went back to facing Yugi with his look. "No sweetheart." he said. Tristan wrapped his arms around my waist so I wouldn't jump over the railing and go straight for his throat. (He called me 'sweetheart'! That…bastard!) "I'm just watching the field now and noticed something that's going to drive your friend to his loss."

I blinked while my fist was still raised in a punching motion and stared at Duke. "What are you talking about Devlin?" I asked him sternly.

He pointed down at the 3-D board. "Take a good, long look at Yugi's side of the field." he said. "There's no more room for him to dimension any dice."

Everyone whipped their heads to look over the railing. Yugi even stood over his mat and gave the board a good scan. Our jaws dropped to the floor. Duke was right. Oh my god he was right.

Yugi's side of the board was almost full of blue path. Even if he was able to roll two summoning crests, he wouldn't be able to dimensionalize the dice in the couple of square spaces left here and there in random places. Not only had Duke trapped Yugi behind his own path, he made it so Yugi's side of the board would be limited with space for his path.

I banged my fists onto the railing, hard. I was sure there were bruises now. Tears begged to sting my eyes in a wish to cause me pain. I couldn't believe it. Yugi could lose….in fact…to me it looked like he already did.

"There's only…a few open squares left." I choked, holding my tears back. "he can't dimensionalize a 6-sided dice in them!"

"And without being able to dimensionalize," Tristan wondered. I slid to my knees, holding the edge of the rail all over again. "Then that means he can't summon any monsters!"

Duke chuckled insanely, his voice rang throughout the whole entire room, making it echo off the walls and back into our ears. "You see?" he cried. "Yugi could never have won! I'm the creator of this game! There was no way! He was a cheater anyway, and cheaters never win!"

"Knock it off!" Joey growled, raising a clenched fist at Duke. Beside him on the floor, my own fists clenched. "He's never cheated! You're just blinded by the fact that he beat your idol to a pulp fair and square! And because he wasn't brave enough to face the world with his defeat, he goes away and hides! Stop blaming my pal for your game not taking off, you got that?"

My god…Joey really got his with that…I felt bad. Because I was the one on the floor then. I usually helped the Pharaoh back in Ancient Egypt. I wasn't used to counting on someone else, like how he used to count on me.

…count on me…Something I've never experienced. But I remembered that because Téa and I cheered for him, Yugi was able to have enough courage to take the game this far.

So what if he can't summon anymore than a couple more monsters? Yugi and Yami put together will be Duke's demise!

With new courage and determination coursing through my veins like hot water boiling, I shot back to my feet and held the pom-poms to the air. I looked to Yugi and saw him doubled over, thinking he can't win.

"You can do this Yugi!" I shouted to him. He looked up to meet my gaze and I swear something…nothing large but strong enough for me to feel it…sparked. We both had fiery eyes, maybe that was it. (…or so I led myself to believe.)

My breathing calmed as we kept staring at each other. Looking into his eyes made me calmer. "You can do this." I said again. "We believe in you. You got this!"

He gave me a true smile. One of those smiles I've been dieing to see again ever since we were first told of the prophecy. I've never actually thought about it….but I really, really liked it.

"This game's not over yet!" Yugi declared, rolling his dice for the turn. He checked out the help screen as Téa and I jumped for joy and threw our pom-poms around in the air. Duke cringed at how much Faith we had for Yugi.

A small smirk began to form across Yugi's lips. He looked up from the help screen across to where Duke was standing. "I use Mighty Mage's special ability; which is the ability to attack enemies who are two spaces over. Mighty Mage, attack Devlin's Orgoth and make him weaker!"

The little blue warrior raised his staff over his head and shot a stream of ice and water from out the end. Just when it was about to come into contact with Duke's monster though, he countered it.

"I use the defence crest from my crest pool to stop the attack!" A green shield formed around the giant ogre and Mighty Mage's burst of blue didn't get through. It repelled off and showered harmlessly onto the board. I sighed slightly in annoyance.

Now Duke's turn to roll. "You can't get to him that easily, Yugi." Duke said. "Orgoth is strong. He's my best monster, and it'll take more than a measly magician to beat him up. Let alone scratch him." He smiled at the results his roll gave him and said, "I use six magic crests from my roll and from my crest pool to raise Orgoth's attack points up by 30! 5 for each crest!" He attack Mighty Mage in a counterattack and destroyed it. Leaving Yugi with only one monster. That just leaves the Knight of Twin Swords in between Orgoth and Yugi's heart points.

"Oh man!" Tristan cried, holding his head. "He already had to contend with the beast's face, now more attack strength?"

I nodded my head along with Téa. "I know man." I said sadly. "God this is depressing. What colour do you think will look good on me guys?"

Joey blinked at my question, as did the two brunettes. "Er…" The blonde looked me up and down then smirked. I pretended I was about to clobber him over. "I'd have to say…magenta or fuchsia. One or the other."

I blinked at him. "Oh my god you know colours!" I cried, shocked. He anime fell. XD

Téa gave me a concerned look. "You aren't actually thinking Duke will win, are you?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Of course not! I'm just saying…in case." I said, shifting my eyes elsewhere.

"…then definitely white." Téa said, taking a look at my hair. "It would contrast with your hair nicely and show all your curves."

I blinked for a good moment, before I hugged the brunette tightly. "Where have you been all my life?" I cried to the heavens, pretending to cry. We burst out laughing.

Duke smirked at the scene. "Looks like your friends don't want to see you lose." he said coldly.

Yugi looked at what he was talking about and felt a small pain in his chest. Until Yugi appeared beside him.

'You're not thinking they actually forgot do you?' he asked accusingly.

Yami stared at him then shook his head. 'Of course not.' he said. 'Duke's just playing with my head. I have to keep focused. Thank you, Yugi.'

Yugi blinked slightly and simply nodded with a smile before disappearing again. Yami turned back to look at Duke who looked like he was having the time of his life, schooling Yugi at the game he invented and saying he can't beat him. "You only have one monster left Yugi!" he said, smirking again. "And soon, he's going to be gone too. Say your prayers! You can't win this! You know it! You think you can win every game? Even if it is for your friends? You're wrong! I will beat you! And expose of who you really are! A cheat!"

Yugi gripped the dice for his next turn tightly in his hands. That thought struck him in the gut like a ton of weights. He knew Duke was heartless, but saying that he couldn't win for his friends all the time really got to him. Can he lose at this one? Was this the starting of all the coming failures?

"Yugi!" I called to him in a sing song voice, overhearing what Duke told him but still keeping my cool so I wouldn't murder him before the duel was over. "You know won't lose this right? Because you've got us by your side?" I motioned to the rest of the gang, indicating what he was about to lose hope for. Everyone gave him a thumbs up along with a smile.

"Our trademark!" Tristan said, adding a wink.

"You have it all man! You just have to use it!" Joey said next, making some punching notions into the air, letting his ears flap in the process.

"Put that jerk in his place!" Téa said with the kindest smile of us all.

"WE'RE ALL RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" I said the loudest, making us all start whooping in spot. Tristan and Joey clapped their hands to a beat and Téa and I put our arm in arm and began spinning around.

"You think he'll lose?" I asked Joey.

He shook his head. "Nah man." he said, waving his hand. "He ain't gonna lose."

Téa went over to Tristan and asked him next, "You think he'll win?"

Tristan punched the air. "Hell yes!" he answered, sending Téa and I back to jumping up and down. Honestly, it looked like a party was going on instead of a duel. I bet the people watching from the big screen t.v. in the main lobby were shouting and cheering.

Duke looked surprised. How could they have so much hope for Yugi's win? He's in such a tight spot, but all that cheering is actually keeping him in the game! Even his own cheerleaders stood back to watch with amazement.

Yugi smiled, tightening the dice further into his hands. "There's no way I'm backing out now!" he said to Duke. "I'll win this for Joey and for Sarah! You won't make me break that promise with our crude comments, Devlin!"

Yugi's encouraged. I thought. Oh yeah….he's goin' to win this. I knew it from the beginning. He wasn't about to let Duke get away with going out with me and then making a fool out of Joey for a week.

"You're right everyone." he says, turning to us. "Thank you."

We gave him a thumbs up again and smiled.

Yugi smirked. "Now then." he said. "How about we deal with your monster?" he threw his dice onto the mat, yelling, "Dice roll!" He then used the movement crest he just rolled to advance his Knight one space forward. Then he dipped into his crest pool and used six of his attack crests on Orgoth, enough to wipe him out. But Duke still didn't want him to be rid from the field.

"I use Yuranzo's special ability!" he suddenly said, draining our spirits for a second. "He can change all the crests in my crest pool to defence crests. I now use the newly added defence crests to defend for my Orgoth from all your Knight's attacks!"

Every time Yugi's Knight swung his sword, each time Orgoth raised his own to block the other. All. Six. Times.

My jaw dropped to the floor. This couldn't be happening. He saved himself AGAIN….

Duke swiped his hands as if he was dusting dust off them and sighed impressed. "That was a close one." he said. "Wouldn't you say?"

Yugi clenched his fists. He had to think of something and fast! All over again!

Duke rolls, and attacks the Knight of Twin Swords. Everyone groans alongside me and we could hear Duke's cheerleaders begin ranting again. Now Yugi has no monsters to defend himself! He's wide open for an attack!

Yugi rolls the dice. He needed a monster to defend him. Or else Duke's Orgoth will attack his heart points! The dice came to a stop…but nothing matched. He couldn't do anything…

When it was Duke's turn to roll, he got two movement crests. Everyone watched in complete and utter horror as Duke ordered his monster to attack Yugi's heart points after moving him into position. Orgoth raised his sword over his head with a roar and swiped it through the heart, making it from a shimmer to a dull. Yugi doubled over his mat and hung his head. He was only one step away from total defeat.

**HP: Duke: 1/Yugi: 1**

"No!" I shouted. "This can't happen! I won't believe it!"

Duke smirked. "Well you'd better, Sarah!" he shouted back. "You'd better begin to believe it! Because our date is scheduled on Friday!"

I glared a thousand knives at him. "You baka neko (stupid cat)!" I yelled. "I'm not going on a date with you! Get it through your thick and demented skull!"

Duke blinked. "I'm a cat?"

I face-palmed and just ignored him, while he smirked, enjoying my stubbornness. Instead I diverted my attention to Yugi. "You know man." I started, thinking on what to say.

"You're always telling us to believe in the Heart of the Cards." I began softly, suddenly lost in thought while staring at the floor with a dreamy smile on my face. "I think it's time you did the exact same today! I mean, you've always trusted your deck. Now, it's time to trust your dice.

"I remember that day Joey faced Mai in Duelist Kingdom. You told him not to get rattled by Mai's tricks. The way he focused let him win against her. He trusted his cards and that's how Time Wizard was able to turn her Harpies to dust. You have to remember Yugi, that this is almost the same situation. You're Joey in this case, and we're you. You taught us how to believe we could win. Look how far it got us? Now you have to do the same! Now do us all a favour, and beat this creep! All you have to do is trust yourself and your _dice_, right?"

"Yeah!" Tristan cried. "What she said!"

"And what about all those duelists you went up against, Yugi?" Joey asked, regardless of the cheerleaders giving him death glares for speaking up. "Like Weevil, Mako, and the Paradox brothers. You even had to face Eric and Ryan that one time because of what they almost pulled on...someone!" Here, I blushed a little bit.

"You went up against some of the toughest duelists out there and you always came through! You wanna know why? Because you believed. And now you've taught that to us. Now, we're passing it back to you. You can do this man! Just gotta trust those dice of yours that are in your hand!"

Téa nodded her head. "Sarah and Joey are right Yugi! You can still win this!"

Téa and Joey each gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Good speech man." Joey said, pretending to wipe his eyes. "Got to me." Téa gave me a smile to which I returned and Tristan gave me a high five.

"That was awesome guys." Tristan complimented. Joey and I gave each other a high-five.

"I couldn't have done it without Joey." I smiled. "By the way, yours was inspiring." He smiled proudly.

Yugi gave us a thoughtful smile, it lingering on me for a while but I had no idea why. "You know what Sarah? You're absolutely right." he said confidently. "I can never forget what made me Duelist Kingdom's champion in the first place. Believing in the heart of the Cards. Dungeon Dice monsters is no different. So long as I have the same Faith in my dice as I did in my dueling deck, I can still win this.

"So I'd advise you to keep an eye on your last heart point Duke," cried Yugi with new determination in his voice. "because I'm coming after it!"

Everyone cheered, shouting our hardest to make it stick into Yugi's mind and heart. "Yeah! Go Yugi!"

He rolled the dice. It looked to be in slow motion at first but as they stopped, we knew that that was the real thing. Our hopes climbed higher and our hearts soared at the result of the roll. Yugi even smiled so much, his face was about to tear. I felt so happy, I almost cried.

Duke looked at the dice in horror, not believing Yugi got what he needed. "A...a level-three summoning? You can wipe my monster out! No way!"

Indeed two out of the three dice Yugi rolled were level-three summoning crests. Their shapes bore into my eyes like a million dollars as I looked at them from the flat screen hanging above each players head to show what the players rolled on their turns. I felt so extremely happy for him. Not only did it work, but Yugi could summon just about any powerful monster!

But Duke began laughing again. "That's a great roll." he admitted. "Too bad you're so boxed in you can't dimensionalize the dice!" My heart dropped. He was right. I almost forgot about that...

"There's more than one way you can dimension the dice, Devlin." Yugi said cunningly and my heart rose up again. It was a funny roller coaster ride like that, because every time Yugi said otherwise from Duke, I was prepared to throw a party for the excitement!

"Get ready, Duke." said Yugi, with an unbelievably sexy smirk on his face. He placed his dice onto a line of squares that looked a lot like a staircase on the board. I didn't know if the dice would dimensionalize but when Yugi pressed it down and the six sides fell into perfect alignment, I knew Yugi was going to win that moment.

Duke looked astonished. "No! It can't be! It...the dice it—fits! It fits in the spot you put it in!"

"Now, then" I had a hunch of who it could've been but I wasn't sure. "The monster I'm about to summon has helped me in many tight situations before and he has never let me down."

Oh yeah...my hunch was right.

"I summon, the Dark Magician!" Yugi's magician appeared onto the field in a rainbow of colours before his real appearance was shown. His hat and staff totally dominated his robes. They looked flashy as ever, Duke stood terrified on his side of the field. He didn't know what to do. I thought that he was thinking that he was staring defeat in the eye at the moment. He didn't even have any defence crests to block the Dark Magician's attacks at Orgoth. His monster was doomed!

"Dark Magician, attack Orgoth now and rid him from the field once and for all!" The magician did was he was told and raised his staff out towards Orgoth, after moving into position in front of Yugi's heart points. He shot a blast of energy from inside it and struck Orgoth straight in the chest. He was so weak against the Dark Magician, he shattered into pieces, double the amount of pieces when Thunderball was destroyed.

**"Eyes so bright.**

**Voice so slick.**

**He's so fast,**

**He's gonna kick your ass!**

**Come on Yugi! You got this!"**

Yugi nodded in our direction gratefully. I gave him a wave with a small smile on my face. I missed the small blush on his face.

Everyone whooped and hollered. It wasn't everyday you get to see Duke quaking in his shoes. From both horror and anger.

"Your comeback ends now!" he says furiously as he rolled his dice. "I use the movement crests I just rolled ot move my Dark Assailant back four squares!" Duke's monster hopped backwards until he was sitting right on that chest Duke had item summoned from earlier in the duel. He opened the chest and was suddenly put into a Monster Cannon.

"Now Yugi! You'll finally see what this item can do! Go Dark Assailant, and attack Yugi's Dark Magician! Launch Cannon!" There was a smoky blast and the Dark Assailant cackled with his sword raised as he was shot out from the Cannon and straight at Dark Magician.

"No!" I looked over the railing biting my bottom lip and feeling my heart suddenly plummet into my stomach. Just when you think Yugi has it won, Duke does something totally unexpected.

But then again. Yugi always has a plan.

"I activate Dark Magician's special ability!" said Yugi, just turning to face the board from the help screen. He activated another ability with that screen, it helped him a lot. "Magical Hats!" Large black top hats with a question mark in front of a checkered ribbon decorating it a round appeared onto the field, one of them concealing the Magician. Duke's Dark Assailant went sailing into one, but that one in particular was empty. The Dark Magician then emerged from another hat unharmed. I found it fascinating how he programmed his game to let the Dark Magician have his best magic cards as his special abilities.

Duke didn't like how his look of the game was turning out now. "I use another movement crest and move Yuranzo back."

Yugi smirked, fully enjoying the comeback and turn around of the duel. He rolled his dice for the turn and got two magic crests. "I use the two magic crests I just rolled to activate another one of my Dark Magician's special ability."

I jumped up and down, flailing the pom-poms around so much they were soon going to fall out of my hands. "This is so cool! This game is so intense!" Joey tried calming me down while Tristan shouted more words of encouragement over to our friend. Duke's cheerleaders even settled back and kept watching the duel as it progressed.

"Mystic Box!" Two rectangular boxes with more checkered print and question marks encased both the Dark Magician and Yuranzo. Then sharp swords from out of no where began skewering the box with the Dark Magician inside.

Duke let out an incredulous shout. "What? You're killing your own monster? How does that do anything?"

Yugi smirked, now keeping Duke in suspense. "Magicians never reveal their tricks. I can't tell you my plan." he said slyly. I hollered and whooped all on my own while the rest of the group just stared and laughed.

"Sexy is back people! Duke? You're screwed!"

Yugi did a small face-palm. XD (Sorry. Just one of those random moments I put into my fanfic at random time. xD)

Yugi held out a hand towards his move. "Mystic Box, open!" The one that was supposed to be hiding the Dark Magician was now holding a skewered Yuranzo. Duke's eyes widened as he saw his monster dead in the box. Then those same eyes wandered over to the box that was on his territory, which was supposed to hold Yuranzo but instead, from within the box, appeared the dark Magician.

"But...how? How in the world can you get this far in such a short amount of time!" Duke asked incredulously, watching the Dark Magician waving his finger chastizingly at him with a smirk of his own on his face.

"Now my Dark Magician, attack Duke's last heart point, and end this duel once and for all!" Dark Magician rose his staff ahead of him and a swirl of dark energy began to form at the end. "Dark magic attack!" He shot it at Duke's last heart point while he cried out in horror. Electrical sparks flew as both dimmed. The shimmering heart dulled and the duel finally ended.

**HP: Duke: 0/Yugi: 1**

I couldn't believe all those ups and downs really led to Yugi's victory. Now as Joey jumped from railing to door and from wall to wall, I felt my heart jumping against my rib cage. I had no date now. Joey had a week of his life back. Yugi didn't have to retire from Duel Monsters or give up his title 'King of Games'. I couldn't contain my joy any longer. It felt like I would burst.

HE WON. He actually won! Against all odds and all the troubles he faced, he won the duel!

As he made his way off the platform, I threw down my pom-poms and ran over to him, sprinting with all I had. He didn't notice me come at him and when it was too late, I rammed into him in an embrace and knocked him over. The rest of the gang came up behind us shouting and cheering.

"Oh yeah! My dog days are over!" Joey shouted happily, prancing about the group. I sat there in Yami's lap, hugging him tightly, forgetting about my distance with the Pharaoh for a second, just so I could show my gratitude. I didn't want to go on a date with Duke. After everything he pulled, I thought I would lose it. But the moment Yami stepped in and challenged him just so he won't get it that easily, I knew I was in the right hands. I mean when I lost hope a couple of times there was still a part of me who had kept the Faith. But the bigger part of me that was most unsure he would lose showed. And right now, I just wanted to sit there and hug Yami all day.

Blinking at what had him so hard to make him fall back, he saw my hair just under his chin. He realized I had my arms around his waist while my face was buried in his chest and began blushing almost immediately. But it didn't last so long. He returned the hug, putting one of his hands carefully behind my head and the other arm around my own waist. I almost felt like crying! He saved my sanity! XD

I looked up from the hug and stared him in the eyes. "Thanks Yugi." I said, a happy smile on my face. He met my eyes with as much depth and nodded. Realizing the position I put the both of us in, I blushed a million shades of red and stood to my feet, helping Yugi up in the process. From over my shoulder, everyone else in the group gave Yugi a thumbs up, which made Yugi begin to blush too. Tristan gave him a high-five.

"That was awesome man!" he cried totally inspired. Joey rushed over.

"Yugi! There's my main man! I owe you!" he grinned, putting his arms around his shoulders.

Téa gave him a smile. "That was some really good dueling out there Yugi." she complimented. Way to go!"

He gave everyone a grateful nod and smiled. "Thank you, everyone." he said, that voice of his deep with mystery. "But I could never have done it without your support. I give you my thanks."

Tristan shook his head. "That wasn't all us." he said. I poked him in the shoulder.

"Yes that was." I grumbled. "Now come on! I'm going to give that opponent of yours a good kick and-" Unfortunately for me, I didn't get to finish my sentence because Téa pulled on my arm, making me stop and dragged me back into the storage closet to change our clothes. xD

* * *

We were lounging around Duke's office now after the duel. It had lime green walls, windows to one side with dark green curtains on them, and everyone sitting on brown leather chairs. He had a glass coffee table put in the middle of the room with all the chairs around it. On the glass top sat a lime green clamshell iBook laptop that was opened to show its screen. Yugi was sitting to Duke's right side (Yami had switched with Yugi after the...er...yeah... xD), Téa was sitting beside him, Mr. Mutou (who just happened to be watching the duel from the big screens in the main lobby of the game shop) was sitting beside Joey on the only couch in the room, (not in the dog suit anymore), then Tristan, then me sitting on Duke's left. Téa and I both had changed into our regular outfits and my duffel bag was sitting lazily beside the chair I was sitting on.

Duke held his head in his hands. It seemed like after what had happened, he regretted ever doing anything to accuse anybody. "Yugi, I'm sorry I accused you of cheating." he said solemnly, "The better player won today and it was you. You proved you really did beat Pegasus, fair and square. Ugh, I was such a creep today. And thanks to those t.v. cameras, the whole world knows it. My store is ruined! No one's gonna wanna play Dungeon Dice Monsters now!"

Yugi smiled softly at him. He knew Duke was taking everything back now. He minded for him accusing him, but it was all a misunderstanding. "That's not true at all Duke." he said, "Dungeon Dice Monsters has the potential to become a huge hit."

Mr. Mutou nodded his head. "True. I haven't seen a game this exciting since Duel Monsters. You've got to keep your store open."

Téa nodded next with a wide smile on her face. "There's more than enough room for two game stores in town. I've got a feeling that when Dungeon Dice Monsters takes off, you'll both have all the customers you can handle." she said.

Duke looked up from his hands. "Huh? No way! Do you really think so?" he asked incredulously. He was a bit surprised to hear them saying encouragements rather than throwing curses for the duel he trapped Yugi in.

Joey picked up one of the dice from the game that was lying with a couple others just on the edge of the coffee table. "Sure. Dice Monsters is great. It's you I don't like." he acknowledged. I shot him a small glare to which he just shrugged and kept that mischievous smile of his in place.

"I'd love to learn how to play Dice Monsters." Tristan said, taking a look at the die in Joey's hand. "It looks really cool."

Duke smiled. "I can teach you." he said to him. Tristan shouted, "Great!"

"Now that Joey is out of the dog house," said Yugi thoughtfully, "maybe things will get back to normal around here. Which means I can finally get back to playing Duel Monsters." The last thought seemed to make him happy, I thought. Well of course! I mean, Duel Monsters was like a part of his life. It _is_ actually...and technically.

"So that's it?" Duke asked shocked. "How can you let me off so easy, Yugi? I was a total jerk to you and your friends."

Yugi gave him a thoughtful look next. "The game is over now." he said, "Let's just leave the fighting on the field because revenge leaves you with nothing except more bad feelings, Duke. And if you're truly sorry, then the best thing to do is be friends."

Duke looked down for a second and laced his fingers together. "I am sorry." he says. Then he looks back up at Yugi. "And you're offering me something better than winning."

Yugi held out hand with a smile on his face. "Friendship always is." he said. That thought strung in my heart. Yugi did always have the best speeches...I thought.

Duke looked at the hand for a minute before smiling back and shaking Yugi's outstretched hand. Everyone awww'd. XD

Then he turned to look at me and his eyes changed back to being a bit sadder. "Now I want to personally apologize to you, Sarah." he said softly. "I'm so sorry I treated you the way I did. I guess I was so angry and frustrated from my game not taking off that I blamed Yugi for everything and put everything he and you had on the line at the duel."

I gave him a small smile. I didn't like him at first, I had to admit, but he reminded me a lot of Eric from Duelist Kingdom. Duke tried getting me into a date, but I know from the way he kept apologizing that he didn't mean what he did. I mean, if I ever made a game this good (not that I would be able to) and it didn't go in the direction I wanted it to, then I would be just as mad as Duke was today. I would've gone against the person who I thought was the accused too. I didn't blame him a lot. I just knew he was misunderstood.

I raised my hand out to him and he stared at it. "Apology accepted." I said with the smile still on my face. I saw him blink at my hand.

"You...you're letting me go too?" he asked me surprised. "I thought for sure **you** would do something for revenge."

I cocked my head to the side. "Now that you mention it..." I murmured. I saw him stiffen and laughed quietly. "Well...it's hard for me to be sad or angry at somebody for a long time. I don't hold grudges." (Except for that one person...who claimed my parents' lives... (but more on that a bit later)) "And plus, like Yugi said, revenges aren't cool. It just leads to a war that doesn't stop."

Duke nodded. "I understand now." he said. "From now on, I owe you guys." He shook my outstretched hand and I continued to smile.

"But seriously guys..." I said, leaning back into the chair. "What colour looks good on me? I need to know in case the school holds any dances or...something..."

All the boys except, Mr. Mutou, looked me up and down and smirked. Yugi just laughed instead.

"Pink." said Joey.

"Sky blue." said Duke.

"Rainbow!" cried Tristan. I blinked at him before bursting out into laughter with the rest of the group. Tristan sweat dropped.

"It's amazing how you guys violate and give me suggestions all at the same time." I sighed glaring playfully. Each boy blushed and I just simply laughed. XD

As everyone tried calming down, Duke's laptop began beeping and an envelope symbol appeared onto the screen.

"Looks like you have some new e-mail, Duke." Yugi said thoughtfully, taking a glance at the screen.

Joey hopped up and down on his seat in anxiety. "Anything good?" he asked. I blinked at him and he smiled back sheepishly.

Duke typed into the computer and opened his Inbox. He opened the message, read it over, and a smile tore his face. "Woah! Industrial Illusions did send a contract after all and they want to take Dungeon Dice Monsters global!" he cried, totally excited that Pegasus had replied.

Everyone shouted cheers and encouragements.

"That's awesome Duke!" I cried, clapping my hands.

Yugi nodded. "Congratulations to you. That's great." he said.

Duke looked up from the screen. "Thank you so much, Yugi." he said. "I really couldn't have done it without you setting me straight."

"Duke, you invented a great game..."

"But you made me see it was missing something. That a game's not just about mastering the rules but about getting to know your opponent."

Yugi nodded. "Right. It's not all about rules and how to win. It's about having fun and meeting and making new friends."

I smiled at the two. "I think today is Speech Day or something." I said, jokingly. "Great words man."

Joey rubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his denim jacket. "That one got to me too!" he cried. Tristan flicked him in the forehead.

'Because you never know where you're going to find them. Or once you've met them, how close they're going to become.' I thought in my mind, while changing my glance Joey to Yugi. He gave his Millennium Puzzle a thoughtful gaze before looking up and giving me a smile. I returned it but it stopped short when I saw traces of Yami's spirit form hovering beside Yugi's seated figure. I smiled again, this time more fully. I was grateful for Yami and Yugi both helping Joey and me out of the situation. If they hadn't stood up for us, we'd be dead.

But if I can see Yami's spirit form...that means the bond between him and Yugi was growing.

Now it's only time until our bond will grow. If our friendship can go back to how it was 5,000 years ago, then Yami and I will be a team again. He'll be the Pharaoh, and I'll serve as his Guardian once again. I couldn't wait 'til it was put into motion.

Soon...soon the Prophecy can be played. And Destiny will show us our way.

**

* * *

CREDITS!: **Hey guys! I'd like to give credit on this chapter to **Howlingwolf26 **who gave me an idea in the middle of the chapter, or actually near to the end, when Sarah runs into Yami! XD They actually just sent me a review and I all of a sudden got the idea. It just—WHAM!-hit me in the head! XD LOL. Any who, it was still their idea! AND I SHALL GIVE CREDIT BECAUSE THEY HELPED! XD Thank you very much **Holwingwolf26**! ^^

**Author's Note:** HOLY FLIPPIN' SHIZZZZZ! That was the end of SEASON 1! I really really REALLY hope you enjoyed it! I know I loved writing it. XD And even though I was terrible in some parts, I apologize but personally think I maybe have gotten a bit better. But you're the judge of that. Reviews are very much and always appreciated! I hope you liked Season 1. haha...now it's time for Season2: Battle City! One of my favourites. XD (But...they're all my favourites, but oh well! xD) Hope you stay tuned! Until then, PEACE OUT! And hopefully I'll begin Season 2 in a couple days. LOOK FOR _**YuGiOh!, Past Repeating: Season 2**_ on my profile! THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOU SUPPORT! VIRTUAL COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! ^^

_**~-xyugiohluvrx-**_~


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